Control
by ConsistentlyInconsistent
Summary: When his tight control is being tested by frequent migraines that push him to his limits, Bruce meets a young woman named Kagome. Will she be the key to regaining what he thought was lost, or will she unlock the beast within?
1. Chapter 1

AN: New story. Sorry. Info on another in-the-works story in the ending AN. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor The Avengers nor any of their characters. Those belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Marvel/Disney (I can't believe I have to say that they belong to Disney...nothing against Disney (who I also love), but...yeah), respectively. I only own any original characters that may appear.

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Control

Chapter One

Bruce gently applied pressure as he rubbed small circles on his right temple with two fingers. His migraine was getting worse. He and Tony had been pulling long hours in the excitable billionaire's lab working on a number of projects, and he had been relieved when Tony had declared that they would be taking the night off. But his relief had quickly faded when Tony had said that they needed to get out of the house altogether. So, somehow, during the hours between that announcement and their arrival at their current location, Tony had talked him into attending a charity event that one of his business partners was hosting.

They were in the ballroom of a large mansion, and Bruce suddenly found himself longing to be back in the lab he had been sick of looking at not that long ago. There were many people milling around the room as some mingled while others talked business. He merely stayed by Tony's side sipping at the champagne he had in hand. Between the ache in his skull and the social anxieties he had developed over the years, Bruce was happy that most people only knew him by name and not by face. He had specifically asked Tony to introduce him by his first name—Robert—only, since he usually got mixed reactions when people realized that they were meeting the alter ego of the infamous Hulk. He really didn't feel like adding to his headache at the moment.

Taking another sip of his drink, Bruce crossed the room with Tony as they approached their host for the evening. "Taishou," Tony greeted as he extended his right hand.

"Stark," the man returned as he took Tony's hand in a firm shake. Bruce had never met the man, only heard of him, but he was intrigued by the incredibly long ponytail that the man's black hair was pulled into. It wasn't a common look for someone to wear, especially in the business world. But with the crisp tux that the man wore and his deceivingly youthful appearance, Bruce supposed that it suited him oddly enough.

Just as Tony was about to say something else to the slightly intimidating man, he was distracted with the approach of a woman. The first thing he noticed about her was the deep red cocktail dress that she wore. Despite being such an eye-catching color, he had to force himself to look away as it caused his headache to worsen slightly with its intensity. He quickly took in the rest of her; pale skin, exposed shoulders, slender neck, black hair pulled into a low bun with a few curled tendrils left to frame a heart-shaped face, blue eyes, and red-coated lips. He silently admitted to himself that she was very attractive, if a little young—early-to-mid-twenties maybe. "Kagome," Tony purred as he stepped forward in an attempt to hug the woman.

Kagome quickly handed a glass of champagne to the man Tony had just greeted before pressing her now-free hand to the billionaire's chest to stop him in his tracks. "Hello, Mr. Stark," she greeted with a polite smile. "It's been a while; still engaged?"

Tony laughed as he took a step back. "So Pepper tells me," he answered. Looking as though he had just been struck by the thought, Tony announced, "Ah! Introductions!" He threw his arm around Bruce's shoulders as he said, "This is my friend Br—Robert." Bruce sighed as Tony made his first slip of the night but managed to not-so-subtly cover it up. "_Robert_," he stressed, "this is Sesshoumaru Taishou, CEO of Taishou Industries. They deal primarily in communication and medical technology." Gesturing towards the woman who had rebuffed Tony's advance, he said, "And this lovely creature is Kagome Higurashi. She's Taishou's handler."

"Handler?" Bruce questioned softly. He really needed to leave this party soon.

Extending her hand towards 'Robert', Kagome explained, "I'm Sesshoumaru's personal assistant. I am to him what Pepper was to Tony before their engagement." Pausing to look at her friend and employer, she jokingly added, "Only without the repressed sexual tension."

Sesshoumaru seemed to merely tolerate the words Tony and his assistant, and he quickly changed the topic. "And what is it that you do…Robert, was it?"

With eyes on him, Bruce simply said, "I'm a doctor." Tony started speaking again, this time about business, and Bruce did his best to tune out what was being said. Migraines put him on edge, and it only made controlling the 'other guy' that much more difficult. Feeling eyes on him, he looked up and caught the concerned gaze of Miss Higurashi. Without drawing the attention of either of the businessmen, she took a few steps closer to him until they stood side-by-side to feign interest in Tony and Sesshoumaru's conversation.

"Are you okay?" She asked in a soft voice. "You look like you're in pain."

Bruce wondered if he was being that obvious as he answered, "I have a migraine. I let Tony talk me into coming here against my better judgement." He reached up again to apply pressure to his temple once more.

Looking thoughtful for a moment, Kagome tugged lightly on his jacket sleeve as she said, "Follow me." Bruce hesitated for a moment, but Kagome cut him off before he could protest. "I have something that might help, and trust me when I say that they'll barely notice that we're gone."

Hesitating only slightly, Bruce decided that it couldn't hurt to follow the young woman if she did indeed have something that could help. Seeing as he was following her, he had to do his best to keep his gaze locked solidly on the back of her head. While the temptation was strong to watch the wide bell of the dress swish and sway around her smooth legs with the movement of her hips—_'It has been way too long if I'm checking out someone a decade younger than me,'_ Bruce thought—the color of her dress was having too much of an effect on him. While his doctorate may not have been in the field of psychology, he was well aware of what different colors could do to someone.

Red. It was a color with incredible power. Often called the color of passion, it could just as easily inspire aggression. It wasn't just emotional responses that he was worried about either. Seeing red could cause an increase in heart and breathing rates; it could trigger a person's fight-or-flight reflex. The last thing that he, this house, or the partygoers needed was an adrenaline-fueled Hulk with a killer headache.

Bruce barely noticed when they swung by the bar so that Kagome could grab a bottle of water, but he continued to follow her until they walked through a set of doors and onto the open veranda that was enveloped with the darkness of night. Blinking to adjust to the significantly less blinding light, Bruce was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. The darkness combined with the cool evening air against his skin helped to relax the vice his head had been trapped in. He walked over to the railing, folded his arms on the wide wrought-iron bar, and bent to rest his forehead on the makeshift pillow.

Walking over to join the older man, Kagome set her champagne glass, bottled water, and clutch on the iron railing. She quietly rifled through the sparse contents of the small purse and smiled when she pulled free what she had been looking for. "Doctor," she said softly as she tapped 'Robert' on the shoulder. "I have some medicine for migraines if you'd like something to take."

Bruce turned his head so that he could see what Kagome held and was surprised to see that it was the same over-the-counter medicine he usually took for his headaches; the same medicine that he had forgotten back in the lab.

Kagome smiled seeing the questioning look he gave her as he straightened and nodded. As she opened the small bottle, she explained, "Sesshoumaru and his brother are surprisingly talented at inspiring headaches. I never leave home without my little travel bottle." She gave the doctor two small tablets and the bottle of water. Watching as he quickly downed the medicine and half of the water, she quietly asked, "Your name isn't really Robert, is it?"

Rolling his eyes, Bruce answered with his own question, "You caught Tony's little slip-up, huh?"

"Well," Kagome looked to the side before continuing, "yes and no. It was a little hard not to notice Tony's "slip-up." But I actually recognize you from other pictures."

Bruce froze before he slowly turned to see what reaction he would get. "You recognize me?" He asked tightly, his headache starting to come back full force as his heart pounded nervously.

Kagome smiled as she nodded. "That's right. You're Dr. Bruce Banner, right?" When he didn't answer right away, she nervously continued, "I've read about some of your work." When his silence continued, she started to nervously fill the conversational void. "I mean…I don't understand a lot of your advanced research, of course. But I think that the work you've done to combat infectious disease in remote areas is inspiring."

Surprised that someone would recognize him for his less acknowledged work, all that Bruce could manage to say was, "Well…thank you."

Kagome beamed when she finally got a response from the man. "I've actually been trying to talk Sesshoumaru into getting in touch with you. I know that it isn't your primary field, but I think between your theories and Sesshoumaru's medical technology, so much good could be done."

Bruce watched as Kagome spoke animatedly about her ideas on medical research and helping the less fortunate. Between the soft light of the moon and the warm light spilling outside from the party, Kagome's skin glowed in contrasting ways. He was taken with the way her eyes shone with the same enthusiasm that her voice held. _'She's still young,'_ he thought slightly cynical. And while there were many reminders that she was likely too young for him, he found himself caring less and less. Aside from obviously being well-read, everything about this woman was soft and inviting and relaxing. _'Yes,'_ he thought to himself again. _'It has been way too long since I had any kind of relationship with a woman.'_ Soon, he found himself giving into the temptation to let his gaze travel over her, but he kept landing on one feature. Red lips, gold jewelry with red stones, the shining satin of the red dress; Bruce could feel his pulse increase and the pain in his skull began to return.

Pulling herself out of her ramblings, Kagome noticed the slight grimace on Bruce's face. "Is the medicine not working?" She asked as she gently moved her hand to rest on the hand he still had braced against the iron railing.

He had been trying to get a reign on his body and emotions. His normal level of control had gone far too lax. So he was trying to regain control, trying to calm down…_trying._ But as soon as Kagome's skin touched his and the first shot of electricity that came from human contact shot up his arm and surprised him, Bruce cursed in his mind as his control slipped away.

_'Fight it!'_ He screamed in his mind as he jerked his hand away from the woman in front of him. He backed away several steps, hoping that she wouldn't follow him. He never wanted to hurt anyone. Bruce could feel his muscles contracting painfully as he fought the transformation every step of the way, tears forming in his eyes. He hated this. His breath was taken away when he felt his bones start to grow, and he fell to his knees on the hard stone of veranda. Then he heard it: the quick series of clicks from a woman's high-heeled shoes rushing towards him. He wanted to move away from her, to tell her to get away from him, but he couldn't move…couldn't speak. All he could do was ball his fists and watch as his skin began to take on a green tint.

Kagome was startled when Bruce suddenly pulled away from her. She knew that migraines could be bad, but this looked like an entirely different level of pain. Then it hit her. She wasn't sure what had triggered it, but Bruce Banner was about to make his infamous transformation. Without thinking about what she was about to do, Kagome rushed forward and fell sharply to her knees in front of the pained man. Placing a hand on either side of his head, she was alarmed to find that his skin was burning hot to the touch. "Dr. Banner," she said in the most soothing voice that she could muster. When she didn't get any response, she tried again, "Bruce," she began gently. "Listen to me. Concentrate on my voice. You can come back from this," she coaxed. "Follow my voice."

Inside, Sesshoumaru paused in his conversation with Tony when he felt a shift in the air. He hadn't been concerned when Kagome had wandered off with Tony's guest, but now he was certain that it had been a poor decision. "Stark," he interrupted. "Where is your associate?"

Tony looked around and noticed that Bruce and Kagome were gone. Ignoring his first instinct on where the two might have gone—Bruce wasn't that kind of guy—Tony took a few steps around Sesshoumaru and looked around the room. He was about to say that he didn't see them anywhere when he saw a set of glass doors opened to the veranda. Tony knew that Bruce had gotten a headache on the way to the party; he was beginning to become concerned over the frequency of Bruce's headaches. He had planned on leaving after he spoke with Sesshoumaru. But now Tony feared that it may be too late. Hoping that Bruce was able to maintain his calm composure for just a while longer, he said, "He said he had a headache earlier. Maybe Kagome took him outside?"

Without another word between them, the two businessmen walked towards the glass doors, but quickly stepped outside and shut the doors behind them when they saw what was happening. Seeing Kagome's proximity to a mid-transformation Bruce made both men unsure of how to proceed. Their first reaction would have been to get Kagome away from the situation, but at this point it wouldn't take much to send Bruce completely over the edge. For what it was worth, it looked like Bruce was fighting for control and slowing down the transformation at the very least. Though it was too far for Tony's ears, Sesshoumaru could easily hear Kagome's soft murmurs. But when Bruce's muscles tightened even more and the green of his skin darkened, Sesshoumaru wasn't sure how much longer the man would hold out.

Kagome was running out of options. She knew how dangerous her position was, but she knew that running could be worse. On the verge of tears, she continued to whisper soft words to the pained doctor as she ran her fingers through his hair. "Don't do this," she pleaded. "Don't do this." When Bruce jerked again, Kagome decided to try one last thing and prayed to any god listening that it didn't hurt him. Taking a few deep breaths, she drew her energy into her hands and watched as they began to glow pink. In an attempt to heal instead of purify, she slowly pushed the energy into the Bruce. The technique had worked with Inuyasha on a few occasions when he had gotten a little out of control, though he usually had a few burn marks left where her hands had touched him.

Standing to the side in shock, Tony and Sesshoumaru watched as Kagome's hands began to glow and Bruce stopped growing. For a moment they were all completely still…waiting…watching. Finally, Bruce began to shrink back to his normal size with only a few rips and tears in his clothes.

Bruce opened tired eyes as the pain receded and he could see the green slowly fading from his skin. He was vaguely aware of a pink light in his peripheral vision, but at the moment he really didn't care about that. Eventually the pain vanished and his skin was its normal peach-ish hue, but he was utterly exhausted from trying to fight against the 'other guy' for so long. His arms and legs buckled, and he found himself lying on cold stone with his head resting against the soft red satin covering Kagome's legs. He barely had time to rasp out of soft "Thank you" before he lost consciousness.

Releasing a shuddering sigh, Kagome relaxed a great deal. She looked down at the man who had passed out in her lap and laid a hand on top of his hair. "Well that was mildly terrifying," she breathed to herself.

"Kagome," Sesshoumaru's voice sounded from behind her. She turned to look over her shoulder and saw Tony and Sesshoumaru approaching her.

"Sesshoumaru," she said as relief flooded her. They may not have always liked each other and they still fought a lot, but she knew that he would protect her if push came to shove. The relief she felt at seeing him caused her emotions, which had been running high, to catch up with her, and tears began to flow down her cheeks. She watched as Tony pulled Bruce off of her lap and laid him on the ground with his suit jacket tucked under the man's head. Then she suddenly found herself pulled to her feet as Sesshoumaru looked her over for any damage. "I'm fine," she mumbled several times until he completed his check. "How's Bruce?" Kagome asked as she looked over at Tony.

Kneeling on the ground next to the unconscious doctor, Tony sighed and said, "He seems to be okay; just unconscious. I need to get him home, but I obviously can't take him back through the ballroom." He looked up at Sesshoumaru for an alternative since it was the taller man's home.

Looking over Kagome once more and confirming that she was okay, if a little shaken, Sesshoumaru said, "Go get your car from the valet and take the side driveway to the left of the front of the house. It will bring you back here. Kagome will wait with Dr. Banner while you are gone. I have to get back to the party before people realize that I'm gone and come looking." When he saw that Tony was about to protest, he added, "We will speak of this tomorrow. Now go." Sesshoumaru cast one last look at Kagome before releasing her shoulders and making his way back to the doors that they had shut just minutes before, pulling a set of curtains to cover the glass once he was inside.

Tony and Kagome stared at each other for a moment in silence. Kagome smiled weakly as she said, "It's okay, I'll wait with him. Go get your car and I'll help you get him buckled in."

Hesitating for a moment, Tony forewent his usual joking demeanor as he asked seriously, "Are you okay?" Despite all of his flirting and teasing, he thought Kagome was a sweet girl and didn't like the thought of her getting hurt, especially when it was partially his fault.

"I'm fine," she repeated. Thinking for a moment she said, "Though you may want to go around the side of the house to get your car. We've probably brought a lot of attention to that door already, and we don't need people getting curious." Tony nodded before taking off at a light jog and disappearing around the corner of the mansion.

Not caring whether or not her dress got any dirtier than it was, Kagome kicked off her black heels and sat on the stone floor next to Bruce. She watched him sleep as she became lost in her own thoughts. It was strange that a man who seemed as sweet and gentle as Bruce Banner would have a creature as angry and destructive as the Hulk inside him. Reaching out, she brushed some of his dark hair away from his forehead and watched him move slightly in his sleep. His expression was relaxed and peaceful—completely different from when she had first met him less than an hour prior.

She thought over the scary experience of watching him almost change and suddenly thought to check the sides of his head for burns from her powers. Checking both sides of his head and through his hair a little, she was relieved to see that no marks remained. She knew that it worked with Inuyasha, but he was usually grumpy for a while after until the marks faded. Unable to help comparing Inuyasha's transformations to Bruce's, Kagome wondered if Bruce also moped while beating himself up for a while after coming back to his true self. While they were similar in some ways, Kagome also knew that the two men were completely different in their circumstances. Inuyasha was born with the demon blood that made him lose control. He had lived with it his entire life. Dr. Banner's gamma radiation exposure happened much later in his life. He was thrust into a completely different way of life after he had become an adult.

"You must have a very strong spirit," she said to her sleeping company.

It wasn't long after that she heard a car approaching and stood from her seated position. She was just dusting her hands off on her almost-ruined dress when Tony came walking up the stairs. Kagome gently lifted Bruce's head so that Tony could grab his jacket, and they worked together to position him so that he had an arm around each other their shoulders, though Tony was carrying most of the man's weight. Kagome helped position him in the car as Tony settled his friend in for the ride and buckled the man in. As the car door shut, Tony turned to look at Kagome and gave her an expectant look.

Raising her hands in defense, Kagome said, "I'm not saying anything about it without Sesshoumaru present. I'm pretty sure he would try to kill me."

Tony frowned at not getting the answers that he wanted. He wasn't known for being a patient man. "Fine," he ground out in an attempt to hide a pout. "You and Taishou, my place, tomorrow at…let's say two."

Smiling as she nodded at the billionaire with a soft glow coming from under his shirt, Kagome said, "I'll write it into the calendar once I get back inside." Nodding tiredly, Tony walked to the driver's side of his car, slid in, and peeled off following the driveway back around to the front of the house.

Kagome trudged back up to the veranda and picked up her shoes and clutch. All this and she still had a party to finish out with Sesshoumaru. She quickly made her way back inside through a side entrance and used hallways that were off-limits to the party's guests. Arriving at her room, she changed out of her dirtied dress, washed off any dirt from her knees and feet, and chose another dress that would cover her slightly bruised knees. With a few touch-ups to her makeup, she was back at the party making the excuse of having a drink spilled on her first dress.

She waited until Sesshoumaru finished the conversation he was having with a local politician before she brought up the night's incident. "Tony wants us to meet him at his place tomorrow at two."

"Very well," Sesshoumaru said. She could tell that he wasn't happy about it, though.

Curious, she asked, "So what are we going to tell them?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Sesshoumaru answered, "I'm not sure yet. Knowing him, Stark will want to run tests on you to see what causes your powers. Everything has to have a scientific answer for him."

"I am not going to be a lab rat," Kagome hissed lowly so that only the demon could hear her.

"And I won't allow you to become one," Sesshoumaru reassured. "Though I'm still unsure of how I'm going to explain tonight."

Kagome was quiet for a minute as a small group of people congratulated Sesshoumaru on a wonderful party and moved on. "Why not tell them the truth?" She asked softly. "I mean…they're sort of like superheroes, right? They have to have seen weirder."

Sesshoumaru scoffed. "A superhero who can't keep his own true identity a secret? Stark isn't known for his secrecy, and I won't have S.H.I.E.L.D. knocking on my door. That is how we both become lab rats."

"He may not keep secrets where he's concerned, but if we explain why nobody else can know, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy that would just blab it to the world for no reason," Kagome argued.

Thinking over his relationship with the man and what he had learned of Tony Stark over years of working together, Sesshoumaru hummed before looking at Kagome and saying, "I will consider it, but I'll make no promises. It's very sensitive information you wish to entrust to these humans."

Kagome rolled her eyes as she pointed out, "I'm one of "those humans," you know."

With a small smirk, Sesshoumaru said, "You haven't been counted as one of these humans in quite some time. You are the human of the demons. As our only natural enemy, you are given a great deal of trust from our kind. Do not forget that, Kagome."

"I know," Kagome conceded. She was well aware of her role in demonic society. To the public—the humans—she was Sesshoumaru Taishou's personal assistant. To those of demonic blood, she was a major figure in position to stop any uprisings against humanity. While most demons chose to blend and live alongside humans, there were a few groups who still believed themselves superior. But between her, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and a few other names of legend, the rebellious groups mostly kept to themselves. She wasn't just a human; she was a guardian.

_'Like The Avengers are guardians,'_ she thought to herself as she watched Sesshoumaru shake more hands and play nice. _'That's why I'm sure that they would understand. We have to be above what we want to do so that we can do what we need to do. We do what we have to do to protect people.'_ Trotting off behind Sesshoumaru as he walked to another part of the room, she hoped that he would come to the same conclusion.

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AN: So this chapter ended differently than I originally thought that it would. I still like it okay, though. Even if it is a little awkward in places...The idea for Bruce's transformation in this chapter came from my own experience with migraines. I get them a lot. Almost every day. And they make me incredibly grumpy. I can only imagine that someone like Bruce, who is perpetually angry and under lots of stress, would get them too. Hope people aren't mad at me for starting something new, but I got this idea and it wouldn't leave me alone. I have another IY/Avengers story in mind, but this one just came together quicker. The other story is/will be Kagome/Loki. Though that one will be much…well, to be honest it's going to be really super smutty. It'll have a plot and everything, but I've developed an unhealthy obsession with Tom Hiddleston/Loki (mostly thanks to the Loki's Dirty Whispers on Tumblr…). The story actually uses the "Dirty Whispers" as prompts! I'll post as much of it as I can on this site, but the saucy parts are going to have to go on adultfanfiction. Anyway, enough rambling. I hope you enjoyed this! It's going to be more of a cute/sweet story with some fluffy bits here and there. Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor The Avengers nor any of their characters. Those belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Marvel/Disney, respectively. I only own any original characters that may appear.

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Control

Chapter Two

"Sir," Jarvis's voice announced through Tony's workshop. "You have visitors; Mr. Taishou and Miss Higurashi."

Tony looked up from the virtual blueprints for one of his suits. He and Bruce had been going over possible modifications that could be made, but the clock on the wall indicated that it was indeed time for their little talk. "Got it," Tony called to the AI system. "Send them in." Looking over to the man who had gradually become his best friend, Tony saw that Bruce was still sitting at one of the work tables running formulas and equations. "Hey," he called to grab Bruce's attention. "Did you hear Jarvis? We're about to get some answers about last night."

Bruce hummed a less-than-enthusiastic affirmative, but he never looked up from his notebook. Honestly, he didn't want to have to face Kagome Higurashi again for a while. Aside from feeling like he'd been hit by a truck—a fun side-effect from fighting his transformation so hard—he was incredibly embarrassed about his loss of control. He had thought that he was doing so much better in the last few years. Leaning back in his chair, he removed his glasses, set them aside, and rubbed his tired eyes. _'And of course these damn headaches aren't helping anything,'_ he thought as he reached for a small bottle of medicine to hopefully dull the building ache.

Kagome and Sesshoumaru entered the room just as Bruce was sliding his glasses back into place on his nose. "Stark," Sesshoumaru greeted flatly without bothering to offer his hand for niceties. Out of the public eye, the ancient demon tended to only be as civil as he absolutely had to be.

"Taishou," Tony said in a similar fashion. The only difference between the two greetings was that Tony was mocking Sesshoumaru's seriousness.

"Higurashi," Kagome piped in just to try to lighten the atmosphere and move things along. Looking around the large room, she smiled and called out, "Hello, Dr. Banner."

Bruce waved awkwardly over his shoulder without looking at her, and Tony took the opportunity to draw the attention back to himself. "So should we make small talk or get straight to the point?" He asked.

Bracing himself for what was sure to be a tedious conversation, Sesshoumaru took a seat on a nearby rolling work stool and said, "Ask your questions, Stark."

"Excellent!" Tony clapped, not noticing Bruce's flinch at the echoing sound, before motioning for Kagome to take a seat as well. "So," he drawled suddenly realizing that he didn't know which question to ask first. "Why do your hands glow?" He blurted.

Kagome was just opening her mouth to explain when Sesshoumaru beat her to the punch. "She is a priestess—a miko to be specific."

Obviously having not been expecting that answer, Tony's immediate response was, "I'm sorry, what?"

"A priestess," Kagome said again, cutting a small glare in Sesshoumaru's direction. "You know: holy powers, healing, purification, exorcisms…stuff like that." She desperately wanted to add "purifying evil demons," but Sesshoumaru had expressly forbidden the mention of demons during their ride over to Stark Tower. "And a miko is a Shinto priestess."

"Holy powers…" Tony repeated. This wasn't what he had been hoping for at all. A mutation, radiation exposure, bitten by an escaped test animal, being an escaped test subject herself; all of that he could have handled. They all lead back to a scientific answer. But here he was, a consummate atheist, being told that that the woman in front of him, who had no deep religious ties that he was aware of, had abilities that were holy in nature. "Can I have some of your blood?" He asked suddenly.

That was the question that caught Bruce's attention. "Tony!" He chastised. "You can't just ask someone if you can have their blood." Standing from his stool, he crossed over to where the other three had been conversing. "I know you want your answers, but there are more delicate ways to go about getting them."

"What?" Tony said defensively. "I asked, didn't I?"

Looking at his friend, Bruce stressed, "For her _blood_."

"I only want a little!" Tony continued to defend himself. He really didn't see what the big deal was. Her body made more of the stuff all the time.

Grimacing at the shout, Bruce took a deep breath as he rubbed a hand across his forehead. He was about to continue in his explanation of why a person couldn't just ask for another person's blood when a feminine voice joined in the argument.

"I don't mind," Kagome volunteered. "I doubt you'll find anything anyway, so what could it hurt?"

Taking his turn to glare at his assistant, Sesshoumaru firmly stated, "No. I won't allow it." They had never had any tests run on Kagome's blood or DNA. She may not think that anything would show up, but Sesshoumaru wasn't comfortable with taking the risk. He didn't want Stark to have anything that could lead his curiosity on a demon hunt.

"Excuse me?" Kagome asked as she turned to face Sesshoumaru's disguised self. "I know you have a lot of say in some parts of my life, but you don't own me, Sesshoumaru. It's _my_ blood," she argued.

When Tony tried to encourage her, Bruce elbowed him in the ribs. What was wrong with the billionaire today? He knew that Tony could become excited or a little obsessed sometimes, but it seemed like this possible mystery had captured his attention fully.

Kagome was busy having a staring contest with her employer. She knew that he was just being cautious, but he was also being paranoid and stubborn. Did he think she was an idiot? Though she may not have completely agreed, she understood his reasons for not wanting Tony to know about demons. But she knew that Tony wouldn't find anything wrong with her blood. Apparently Sesshoumaru had forgotten that her blood had been screened many times through her life; for school and her immigration papers to name a couple of times. Then there was the time she had returned from the past with a particularly bad bite from a demon. Her mother had taken her to the hospital and had her tested for everything under the sun fearing rabies or tetanus or any other number of things. Nothing abnormal had ever shown up. She was fine. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at her as she smiled softly and said, "Everything will be fine, I promise."

The girl usually had trouble where self-preservation was concerned, but Sesshoumaru had to admit that Kagome had always done everything in her power to protect those that she cared about. Though he was still against the idea, he said in low tones, "I don't like it, but you are correct that it is your blood to do with as you wish. If you're absolutely certain that it won't cause problems, I won't forcibly stop you."

Sighing at his attempt at making her feel guilty, Kagome turned back to face Tony and Bruce. "Okay," she said, "but you can only have a _little_." The amount of blood was the best compromise that she could make with the pack leader; not that she was actually part of the pack, but she was about as close to an honorary member as someone could be.

"Five vials," Tony said smiling brightly with one hand held up and his five fingers spread.

"One," Kagome countered.

Frowning slightly, Tony tried again, "Four?"

"_One_," Kagome said again, unyielding.

"Oh, come on," Tony complained. "What am I going to do with one vial of blood?"

"That's not my problem," Kagome said as she smiled up at the man. "You can have one vial; take it or leave it."

Bruce noticed that Tony's jaw clenched as he thought over the proposition. Having done a stint in medical school, Bruce knew that one vial of blood wasn't much to work with when you wanted to test it like Tony did, but it didn't seem like Kagome was going to budge on her point. He couldn't help but smirk knowing that she had the billionaire superhero caught between a rock and a hard place; he hated not getting exactly what he wanted, but he hated losing even more.

Trying for one last deal, Tony offered, "One vial of blood and a hair sample for DNA testing."

"Okay," Kagome accepted with a nod. Seeing Tony's victorious smirk, she clarified, "One vial of blood and one hair for DNA testing." Honestly, she was just enjoying messing with him at this point.

Smirk wiped from his face, Tony looked at Kagome flatly as he asked, "Like the one vial, what am I going to do with one hair?"

Kagome pulled a lock of her loose hair over her shoulder for emphasis as she said, "It's a long piece of hair."

"You might as well just take the offer, Tony," Bruce said quietly as he pushed his glasses to rest on top of his head so that he could massage the bridge of his nose. The aspirin had helped but not nearly as much as he had hoped it would.

"Fine," Tony grumbled as he stalked off to another part of his workshop. "Geez, all this for a little blood," he mumbled as he sifted and searched through different drawers and boxes.

After watching his friend's unsuccessful search for a moment, Bruce finally called out, "What are you looking for?"

"My vials," Tony answered without looking up. "I know I have some lying around here, somewhere."

Taken back by the answer, Bruce asked, "You're going to draw her blood here? In the workshop? Why not just make an appointment at a hospital?"

"I'm not doing anything with her blood," Tony corrected as he finally turned to face his teammate. "You're going to take it."

Bruce tried his best not to look at Kagome (he was sure that she was looking at him) as Tony's announcement took him by surprise. "Why would I draw her blood? You know how to do it. I've seen you draw your own blood."

"Exactly," Tony agreed. "I can take _my_ blood. I'm not trying it on anyone else, though." The idea of sticking a needle into someone else's arm when he really wasn't completely sure what he was doing made Tony a little queasy.

Sighing as he rolled his head to loosen the tension in his neck, Bruce finally turned towards the only woman in the room and smiled tiredly. "Come on," he said as he motioned for her to follow him.

Tony stopped his search again long enough to call out, "Hey, where are you taking her?"

"I'm taking her to the lab," Bruce answered as he held open the door for Kagome to walk through. "If I'm going to be the one drawing her blood, I'm going to do it in a cleaner environment than this. Besides, I know where I have some spare sterile vials and needles." Without waiting to hear Tony's answer, Bruce followed Kagome into the hallway and they made their way towards the stairs that would take them to the lab that Bruce and Tony shared.

The walk was silent and a little awkward. Kagome tried to think of something to use as a conversation starter with the man who she found very interesting, and Bruce was trying to look anywhere but at her. He was hoping that the walk and procedure would go by quietly.

When they reached the lab, Bruce had to squint his eyes. He found the white surfaces reflecting the bright overhead lights to be a little daunting at the moment. "Have a seat anywhere," he said softly as he made his way to a set of drawers.

Kagome watched the man with a small amount of worry. She could see that he was actively avoiding light sources, and he kept touching his head. Did he have another headache? She was about to ask him about it when Bruce sat on a rolling stool and slid his way over to her side.

He gave each arm a quick once-over before reaching out and tapping her right arm gently. "Let's try that arm," Bruce said as he opened the sterile packaging of the needle and attached the small vial that he would be using. Setting the needle aside, he grabbed a small tourniquet and tied it off a few inches above her elbow. "Make a fist and squeeze a few times," he instructed. He glanced up at Kagome as he rubbed his thumb over the bend of her elbow searching for a vein, but he couldn't contain a small snort of laughter when he saw that she had her free hand covering her eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked with a light chuckle. "Afraid of needles?"

"No," Kagome said peeking out from between her fingers for a moment. "Needles don't bother me, but I can't watch them going in."

Bruce shook his head when Kagome closed her fingers again and waited out the small procedure. He noticed that she was in much more casual clothes than the night before, though that wasn't surprising. He could see her bare and slightly bruised knees bouncing with pent-up energy, and he took a moment to admire the long, smooth legs exposed by her denim shorts. A loose-fitting, pink button-up was messily tucked into her shorts and had the sleeves rolled up past her elbows. He also noted that her hair was much longer than he had originally thought. It suited her well, but out of her eveningwear, Kagome looked even younger. Checking her arm again, he saw that a vein starting to make its appearance.

"So," he began as another shot of pain arched its way through his temple. "Where are you from?" Grabbing a small alcohol wipe, Bruce cleaned the area over and around the vein before smoothly inserting the needle. He looked back up at Kagome when he saw her blood begin to fill the small tube.

After she felt the initial pinch of the needle, Kagome lowered her hand so that she could watch the doctor work. "Japan," she answered after a small pause. "Why?"

Reaching for a small container of cotton balls, Bruce placed one over the puncture site as the vial continued to fill. "You have a little bit of an accent," he explained. "When did you move here?"

"Almost ten years ago. Sesshoumaru was my sponsor when I moved here to start college," Kagome said as she continued to watch Bruce work. Despite how timid his voice tone suggested he was, the movements of his hands were confident. "You seem pretty used to this. Do you have to draw blood often?" She knew that despite his work overseas, Dr. Banner wasn't a licensed medical doctor.

Humming as he saw the vial finish filling, he removed the vial from the holder it was in and set it on a nearby counter before he removed the needle from her arm and answered, "Tony and I both have reasons to test our blood every so often. I usually only draw my own, but I've done it for others, too."

Kagome watched as he dropped the used needle into a biohazard container and grabbed a roll of medical tape. She noted that despite his large, slightly rough hands, he was very gentle in almost everything that he did. Once the cotton ball was secured in place over the small puncture, he grabbed her blood sample, rolled over to a mini-fridge labeled "No Food" in bold letters, and stored the small vial away.

Bruce was about to tell her that she was free to go, but he thought better of it and rolled his way back over to her. Tony wasn't the only one with a scientific curiosity. He watched Kagome for a moment before asking, "Do your hands really glow?" Tony had been talking about it all morning, but Bruce really didn't remember much detail about the incident the night before.

Glancing out the door and down the hall, Kagome listened for any approaching footsteps. When silence met her, she turned back to Bruce before drawing power into her hands so that they radiated a soft pink light. "Sometimes," she answered with a smile. She had to admit that it was a little cute the way Bruce's brown eyes widened behind his glasses. He looked like a small child who was seeing their first magic trick.

He couldn't stop staring. Memories of the previous evening and a pink light filling the edges of his vision began to surface. Carefully taking one of her small, glowing hands into both of his, he began to poke, rub, and prod different areas of skin. He found that her skin wasn't any warmer than it should be and her muscles were relaxed and pliable. "What causes the glow?" He asked. He had heard the earlier explanation of her claiming to be a priestess, but having power didn't always cause an emission of light; hell, he was slightly radioactive and he still didn't glow.

Kagome let the light fade from the hand that he wasn't examining and pressed her free hand to her chest. "I don't understand all of it, but it's a power connected to my soul," she explained. "It took several years, but when I was able to gain control of the power I was able to pull amounts of it into my hands and that's what causes the light. I can use it offensively, defensively, or for healing; right now, this is my healing power since it's least dangerous to others."

Bruce continued to examine her hands, but began to focus his attention on the light. It was a soft glow, pink in color, with no apparent source. He ran his fingers through just the light without touching Kagome's skin and found that it almost felt like quickly running your hand through a candle's flame. It was a little warm and almost had its own texture, but it was so subtle that he could only describe it as soft.

Smiling as she watched the scientist indulge his curiosity, Kagome took the time to really examine the man. Curly, dark brown hair fell across his forehead and around his ears while the thin silver rims of his glasses framed brown eyes. She could see hints of his years in the fine lines around his eyes, but she thought that it just added something special to his features. He seemed to be fit, though she couldn't tell much from his slightly loose clothing. She did remember that he was several inches taller than she was, but he wasn't nearly as tall as Sesshoumaru or even as tall as Tony. Noticing a small wince cross his face, she frowned as she asked, "Are you okay?"

Nodding, Bruce rubbed his forehead as he answered, "I'm fine, just another headache."

"How often do you get them?" Kagome asked as she drew power back into the hand that the doctor wasn't holding. She brought her hand up to the side of his head and smiled a little as he jumped in surprise.

He wasn't used to people touching him casually or even willingly, so a hand touching his temple was be enough to startle him. But when the same pink glow from the previous night became visible on the edge of his vision, he snapped his eyes up to meet Kagome's. Bruce was about to ask what she was doing when he felt the pressure in his head begin to subside. He waited a few moments and, sure enough, his headache was fading away quickly. Releasing the hand that he held, he just watched as Kagome brought her freed hand up to the other side of his head, and the headache seemed to vanish completely.

"How often do you get headaches, Dr. Banner?" Kagome asked again as she continued to relieve the pain that she knew he felt.

Thinking over the question, Bruce answered softly, "Every now and then, but they've been getting more frequent." After his headache vanished, a warm feeling began to spread from his head, down his spine, and through his limbs. He could only ever remember feeling this relaxed during his periods of meditation.

Kagome hummed to herself before sharing, "My headaches are usually triggered when I get stressed or frustrated or angry. What about you? Are you stressed or angry?"

Bruce laughed a little as he said, "I'm always angry." Though thinking on it a little more, he had been more stressed recently. Between joining the Avengers, moving back to America (and in with Tony), training, his research, and the various projects that he helped Tony with, Bruce had a lot on his plate. "I guess I'm a little stressed, though."

Frowning at his answer, Kagome asked, "Why are you always angry?"

"It's one of the best ways to control the 'other guy'," he answered. "If I'm always angry, my heart won't speed up any more than it already is when something upsets me."

"That's not good for you," Kagome said more to herself than in answer to what he had said. "You have to know that much anger, aside from being emotionally draining, is bad for your heart and mind."

Bruce shrugged lightly as he reluctantly pulled away from Kagome's hands. "With meditation, it's the best control method that I have."

Debating with herself and knowing that Sesshoumaru very likely wouldn't like the idea, she said, "What if I could teach you one?"

"One what?" Bruce asked as he rolled his newly relaxed shoulders.

"A way to control your anger," she elaborated. "I have a friend who has a problem with his temper—similar to yours actually—and I worked with him on it. He still gets mad, but we worked on him accepting his anger without letting it control him."

Bruce tried to smile at Kagome. He knew that her heart was in the right place, but he had his doubts about what she was saying. "I appreciate it," he said. "But I've tried meditation. It helps, but it's not a complete solution."

Kagome jumped when a buzz came from her front shorts pocket. With a quick apology, she pulled out her cell phone and checked her new text message. _'We're leaving'_ was all that it said and she knew that it was from Sesshoumaru without having to look at the sender's ID. Slipping the phone back into her pocket as she stood smoothly, she said, "Well it looks like Sesshoumaru has had enough of Mr. Stark for the afternoon." She watched as Bruce nodded and stood as well.

"I'll walk you to the elevator," Bruce offered.

Waiting for him to move first, Kagome quickly fell into step as she continued their interrupted conversation. "It's not just meditation that I'm talking about," she said. At his confused look, Kagome backpedaled, "The anger management technique that I mentioned. It's not about suppressing or ignoring your anger. It's about finding another focus; preferably something happy." Smiling as she thought about her best friend, she explained, "My friend that I helped didn't have the best childhood. He grew up angry and didn't trust others easily. It took a while, but he was eventually able to accept his anger and move past it for something that felt better." Looking up at the man beside her, she said, "I would be more than happy to try it with you, if you'd like."

Bruce listened to the light slapping sound that Kagome's brown flip-flops made as they walked and answered, "I'll think about it and let you know." Seeing Kagome's nod, they continued to walk in silence until they saw the elevator where Tony and Sesshoumaru were waiting. Suddenly remembering something that he had wanted to speak to her about, Bruce pulled Kagome up short before they got too close to the other men. Anxiously running a hand through his hair, he said, "I want to apologize about last night. I know that you were able to help stop the transformation, but I'm sorry if I scared you."

"Dr. Banner-" Kagome started only to be interrupted.

"Bruce," the older man corrected.

Blinking a few times before catching on, Kagome smiled. "Kagome," she invited in return. Continuing what she had been trying to say, she reassured, "Bruce, I appreciate the apology, but you really don't have to worry about it." She continued on her way to the elevator and turned to look at him again after she had stepped inside the large box. "I've seen scarier," she said as she smiled and waved goodbye.

Bruce watched the elevator doors shut and found himself smiling. He had seen others react to him in fear for so long that it was nice to be around people that he could talk to normally again. He felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder as Tony came up beside him. _'Speaking of people who aren't afraid of me,'_ he thought.

"Ready to hit the lab?" Tony asked as he started directing his friend in the lab's direction anyway.

Raising an eyebrow, Bruce asked, "What about the suit modifications?"

"That can wait," the taller man answered. "I want to run that blood through every test I can think of."

Bruce thought about what he had experienced in the lab with Kagome; the warmth and softness of the glow as it took away his migraine. He was beginning to have his doubts on whether or not Tony would find anything in his tests. Bruce may have been a man of science, but he was a little more open to the philosophical than his friend. But he wasn't going to argue right now. He liked the lab better than the workshop anyway. He just hoped that Tony wouldn't be too mad when he found out that Bruce had forgotten to get Kagome's hair sample.

* * *

AN: And there's chapter two! I'm loving the response and the feedback that this story is getting! You guys are awesome. I hope you liked the new chapter! Let me know what you think, and I'll see you next time around. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor The Avengers nor any of their characters. Those belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Marvel/Disney, respectively. I only own any original characters that may appear.

* * *

Control

Chapter Three

Kagome was just beginning to become winded when her phone rang. Quickly turning off the treadmill and stepping off of the machine, Kagome slid her thumb across the phone's touch screen and answered, "Higurashi speaking."

_"Go outside,"_ a masculine voice commanded over the line.

Pulling the phone away from her face to look at the caller ID, Kagome frowned at the unfamiliar number. "Who is this?" She asked.

A frustrated sigh came from the other end before a voice said, _"It's Tony. I got your number out of Pepper's phone. Now go outside,"_ he ordered again.

Grabbing her small towel to wipe the sweat from her forehead, neck, and chest, Kagome walked towards the front door of the large house that she shared with Sesshoumaru (and a few others on occasion). "Okay," she said as she stepped onto the front steps. Noticing the light drizzle of rain, she flipped up the hood on the lightweight black hoodie she had worn over her sports bra. "What now?" She asked.

_"Get in the car,"_ Tony said. She was about to ask what he was talking about when she saw a black luxury car pulling into the driveway.

Kagome gaped for a moment at how he had timed that perfectly when the answer dawned on her. "You're watching this from one of your satellites, aren't you?" She asked with a groan.

_"Technically, it's a S.H.I.E.L.D. satellite, but seeing as I built it, I'm borrowing it. Nice shorts, by the way,"_ he commented cheekily. Kagome looked down at her bright, lemon yellow running shorts and tugged at the short hems as she blushed. _"Now get in the car,"_ Tony repeated.

Crossing one arm across her chest, Kagome said, "Not until you tell me what this is about. I would really like a shower and some fresh clothes first."

Tony grunted before quickly answering, _"No time for that. Get in the car."_

"Tell me what is going on," Kagome all but demanded.

The line was quiet for a moment before Tony spoke in a much more serious tone that caught Kagome by surprise. _"Bruce is in trouble."_ It was all that he had to say for Kagome to forget about her warm shower and for her to jog down the remaining steps to the waiting car. It had been a couple of weeks since she had seen or heard from the physicist, and she had gradually become more and more concerned.

Still on the line with Tony, Kagome looked to the driver and nodded before she gave the billionaire her attention once more. "What happened? What's wrong?" She asked quickly.

_"A few days ago we were testing some new additions to one of my suits, and he started to transform. Before he finished I was able to knock him out with a tranquilizer that we added to the suit around the time he moved in,"_ Tony explained in a tired voice.

Kagome gasped as she asked, "Is he okay now?"

_"I'm not sure,"_ Tony answered. _"He woke up the next day, but he hasn't left his room since. He just lays there on his bed in the dark."_

"He must have another headache," Kagome said softly. "Has he not taking anything for it?"

_"Nothing stronger than aspirin, and he says that's stopped working for him,"_ Tony said as he continued to catch Kagome up on recent events. He couldn't believe he was calling her, but he was grasping at straws at this point. While he still hadn't unraveled where her abilities came from, if what she did was able to help his friend then he would set aside his curiosity for the moment. _"I tried getting him to take something stronger, but he's refusing everything; says that he won't take anything that will make his head fuzzy."_

"Okay," Kagome said as she leaned back in the car's leather seats. "I'm on my way, so just...I don't know...make sure he's not in more pain than he has to be until I get there."

Receiving the affirmative from Tony, Kagome hung up and immediately opened a new text message to Sesshoumaru. _'Left the house. Going to Stark's for emergency. Back later,'_ she typed before hitting 'send'. Kagome finally took a moment to breathe and removed the damp hood from her head. Hating the way that her bare legs felt against the leather seats, Kagome slid her towel underneath her and settled in for the ride.

* * *

Due to traffic, it was a little over an hour before the car finally came to a stop outside of Stark Tower. She quickly thanked the driver, who she found out was actually Tony's personal driver, and hopped out of the car. She moved her hood back to cover her head as she was met with the downpour that the drizzle had turned into.

Kagome jogged across the small courtyard of Stark Tower, her electric blue and yellow running shoes splashing in gathering puddles, and sighed a breath of relief when she entered the building. Shivering slightly as the water covering her was cooled by the tower's air conditioning, she looked around hoping the see Tony since she didn't know her way around the building, and seeing as it was the weekend she doubted that many employees were there to help her.

"Miss Higurashi," an accented voice echoed through the room. "Mr. Stark has requested that I guide you to him."

Kagome was quiet for a moment before she asked, "You're Jarvis, aren't you?" She had heard the voice the last time that she was at Stark Tower with Sesshoumaru, but she hadn't really put two and two together at the time.

"Yes, miss," the voice answered before a light 'ding' announced the arrival of an elevator. "This way, please," Jarvis instructed.

Following the AI's efficient instructions, Kagome was jogging down the hallway where she could see Tony waiting for her. He was casually leaning against a wall, doing work that Kagome would never understand on one of his transparent tablets. He barely looked up as she slowed to a stop.

"That took you longer than I thought it would," Tony said as he tucked his tablet under his arm and pushed off of the wall to stand on his own.

Glaring at the taller man, she propped her hand on her hips and said, "Well, excuse me. It's pouring outside which made traffic suck. Now where is Bruce?"

Tony stepped across the hall and quietly opened a door. "Enter at your own risk," he joked. "But I'll be right here just in case," he added as he gave the small side arm at his hip a pat.

Alarmed, she quietly hissed, "What in the world is that for?"

"Oh calm down," Tony defended. "It's just a tranquilizer gun. The tranquilizer is made specifically for him by him since it has to be able to sedate him without his metabolism burning through it too quickly."

"Even if he transforms, do _not_ use that," Kagome ordered as she pointed to the gun. "I can handle this." With that, she slowly opened the door just enough for her to slip inside. Once her eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw that she was in what she could assume was Bruce's bedroom. Spying the bed, she slipped off her shoes and crossed the room in her sock feet.

When she stood beside the bed, Kagome could see Bruce's form, but he looked more like a tangle of sheets and pillows in the middle of the large bed. She listened to his deep breaths and guessed that he was asleep, but his sleep appeared fitful as he frequently tossed and turned. Deciding on the best course of action, she gently sat on the edge of the bed before scooting over to where the man was lying. Pink light enveloped her hands as she leaned over and pressed them to Bruce's head.

She waited and watched as Bruce stilled and his facial features relaxed. Running her fingers across his forehead and through the curls and flips of his dark hair, he continued to relax. When he was still and calm and unable to hide his facial expressions, he was very handsome. _'Not that he isn't handsome when he's awake,'_ Kagome thought. She knew that Tony was watching her from the doorway, but she elected to ignore him for the time being.

Sitting beside Bruce as he slept cause several emotions to bubble up in Kagome's chest. Ever since she had fallen for Inuyasha, Kagome had developed something of a Nightingale Complex. She was always drawn to people who needed help, be it male or female. She was also well aware of this, and she knew that she couldn't always trust her feelings anymore. Going through high school and college, she'd had her heart broken more than a few times after trying to help someone and thinking that she was in love. Over time, she learned to distance herself. She didn't ignore her feelings completely—they were a large part of who she was—but she didn't often act on them anymore.

Kagome sighed as she allowed the power to ebb from her hands and watched as the soft light faded. She stood carefully so as not to awaken Bruce from his peaceful sleep and padded back across the room to speak with Tony. "How long has he been in here?" She asked.

Without missing a beat, Tony answered, "Two days."

"And he's just been sleeping?" She prodded further, though she wasn't sure that tossing and turning restlessly could be counted as actually sleeping.

"Whenever anybody has checked on him," Tony said.

Confused, Kagome asked, "Who else has been checking on him?"

"That would be me," Pepper spoke up as she approached with several files tucked into the crook of her arm. "But that's only when I've brought food up for him."

Kagome smiled brightly at seeing her friend. "Pepper! It's been a while since the last time I saw you," she greeted. They had gotten to know each other very well over the years. Since they were both the assistants of powerful men who often had cause to meet with each other, they were the ones who spoke with each other to set up such meetings. Eventually they had started grabbing lunch together and having girl nights outside of work. "Has he been eating what you bring?" Kagome asked after a quick hug.

"Usually," Pepper answered as she glanced at the door to Bruce's bedroom. "I just bring up a tray and leave it on his bedside table. It's usually empty when I come back."

Nodding, Kagome peeked back into the bedroom through the small crack she had left. She could see that Bruce was starting to toss and turn again. "I don't think he's been sleeping much," Kagome commented.

"Can I just ask something?" Tony spoke up. When he had the attention of both women he looked at Kagome and asked, "How come Pepper is 'Pepper' and Bruce is 'Bruce' but I'm still 'Mr. Stark'?"

Kagome rolled her eyes at Tony's ability to turn a situation back around to himself before she answered, "Because Pepper and I are friends outside of work, and Bruce invited me to call him 'Bruce' instead of 'Dr. Banner'." Before Tony could argue with her points, Kagome got things back on track. "Last time we talked, he said he's been getting these headaches more frequently. Is it possible that they could be triggering his transformations?"

Shrugging, Tony said, "I guess anything is possible. You would have to ask Brucey if you really wanted to know, though."

"I think he's still getting headaches even though he's asleep," Kagome sighed. "If it's okay with you, I'm going to stay for a while and see if I can help him get some actual rest."

"Of course, it's fine," Pepper answered for Tony. "But your clothes are damp from the rain," she observed. "If you're going to stay, I'll bring you something of mine to change into while I dry your clothes."

Kagome smiled as she thanked Pepper and assured the couple that she would do her best to help their friend. She entered the bedroom once again and took a seat in a nearby chair to await Pepper's return. She didn't want to get on and off the bed and risk waking Bruce any more than she absolutely had to. He was tossing and turning and moaning a little, and she felt horrible just sitting there. When a soft knock sounded at the door, Kagome was instantly on her feet to accept the soft cotton shorts and tank top that Pepper had brought her. Seeing as Bruce was asleep, she didn't really see a problem with just changing in the corner of the room, and she quickly handed off her damp clothes to her friend.

Once the door was shut and the room was dark, Kagome climbed back into her previous position next to Bruce and pushed glowing fingers into soft hair that was growing more and more familiar to her.

* * *

_Bruce walked slowly down a dimly lit hospital hallway. He hated hospitals; the sickness, the pain, the death. The hallway was deserted and only the sound of his footsteps could be heard. The nurses' stations were empty. The rooms were abandoned. It seemed that he was alone. He turned around another corner as he continued to wander in search of an exit, but he finally saw a light shining out of one of the rooms._

_Picking up his pace, he made it down to the room and gently pushed the door the rest of the way open. Anxiety gripped his heart and made his stomach turn as he stepped inside and saw the form of a brunette woman lying unconscious in the solitary bed. "Betty," he said softly as he continued forward to stand by the bed. Memories of the time he had turned into the Hulk and accidentally put her in the hospital took over his thoughts. Picking up one of her hands, he brought it to his lips to gently kiss the backs of her fingers. "I'm so sorry," he whispered as several tears escaped his eyes and rolled down his cheeks._

_When he reigned in his tears, Bruce gently placed his once-beloved's hand back on the bed and made his way to the bathroom to splash some water on his face. The water was cold as it hit his face and dripped off, and he found it refreshing. He grabbed a small hand towel and began drying his face off as he stood up. Looking into the mirror, Bruce stared in horror as the snarling, green face of the Hulk stared back at him. "Your fault," the Hulk's deep voice rumbled through the room around him. Bruce shook his head in denial as the two words were repeated over and over. Gripping the sides of his head to muffle the sound, Bruce closed his eyes and shouted, "No!"_

_It appeared that the voice had ceased for the moment, and Bruce snapped his eyes open when small hands tried to pull his hands away from his head. Looking around, he saw that he was now the one lying in the hospital bed (Betty nowhere to be seen), and Kagome sat on the edge of the bed smiling down at him. "You have another headache, don't you, Bruce?" Kagome asked softly as she placed his hands in his lap and allowed her hands to blaze pink and take away his pain. It was only when the pressure began to subside that he realized that it had even been there._

_"You should let me help you," she said as she held her hands pressed to his temples._

_Shaking his head, suddenly feeling very relaxed and exhausted, he weakly argued, "I can't."_

_"Why not?" Kagome asked as she smiled at him again._

_"You'll get hurt," he said. "Just like everyone else."_

_It caught him off guard when Kagome just laughed at him. "No, I won't," she said through her laughter._

_"How can you be sure?" He was confused and curious as to how she could sound so __confident in her statement._

_"Because," she said as she shrugged her shoulders and ran her fingers through his hair, ruffling it a little. "It's just something that I know. It'll be okay, Bruce. I promise."_

_He tried to ask her for more information, tried to ask her how she could possibly know or promise such things, but his voice refused to come out. Trying again, he was met with the same result. But despite his struggle to speak and his panic at not being able to, Kagome simply continued to smile and reassure him that everything would be okay.  
_

* * *

Bruce jumped slightly when he woke up. Glancing at his alarm clock, he could see that it was a little after ten in the morning. Groaning as he rubbed his eyes and tried to wake up a little more, he wondered exactly how long he had been asleep. Judging by how stiff his back was, he would be willing to guess that it was a while. He was just arching his back into a stretch when he noticed a weight across his stomach that caused him to freeze.

Staring to his left, Bruce saw the sleeping form of Kagome snuggled up to his side and had to suppress a startled yelp. When in the world had she gotten there? And, more to the point, _why_ was she there? The last thing that he had a solid memory of was being in the workshop with Tony. Having no idea how to react in such a situation, he very tentatively reached over and gently shook her shoulder. When he got no response, he frowned and shook a little harder. Worried about her, he quickly checked her for any obvious injuries and was relieved to find that it didn't appear as though he had hurt her. It was also a huge relief to see that she was dressed in shorts and a tank top.

He moved Kagome's arm out from around his waist and was again relieved to find that he was at the very least still in his boxers. If he had to take a guess, Tony had to put him down in the workshop and then put him to bed. It was good that there were some lines that Tony wouldn't cross, because, if he had any choice in the matter, Bruce preferred to sleep in the nude—loss of his modesty being one effect of transforming back to his normal form and usually being naked. Finding a pair of pants to slip on, Bruce quickly clothed his bottom half before moving to check on Kagome again. He checked her pulse and breathing, both of which were fine. The only real problem appeared to be that she wasn't waking up.

When Kagome shivered slightly and curled into herself, Bruce smiled and knew why she must have curled up to him while she slept. The radioactivity of his body's cells made his body temperature several degrees higher than what was normal. Due to this, he tended to keep his bedroom on the chilly side. Kagome must have gotten cold during the night and sought out the warmth that he gave off. Bruce quietly pulled his sheets up and over Kagome before looking for a shirt.

Walking down the hall that lead to the large kitchen that Tony had built for all of the floors that contained the living quarters of Stark Tower, Bruce rubbed the back of his slightly stiff neck. After his slight panic at finding Kagome in his bed, he had noticed that the crippling pain which had plagued him for what seemed like days was gone. _'I guess that explains what she was doing there in the first place,'_ he thought. Drawing closer to the kitchen he could hear Jarvis telling Tony that he had a phone call and Tony responding to put the call on speaker.

_"Stark,"_ announced a deep, slightly annoyed voice that was vaguely familiar to Bruce. _"Would you care to explain why you took my assistant yesterday and why she has yet to return?"_

As he stepped into the kitchen, Bruce realized who the voice must belong to. "We had something of an emergency yesterday," Tony explained as he took another bite of his breakfast. When Bruce gave a quiet 'good morning' to both Tony and Pepper, Tony exclaimed, "And speak of the devil! You must be feeling better. So where is Taishou's pretty, young assistant that he's accusing me of taking?"

Bruce was fixing himself a cup of breakfast tea as he answered, "She's still in bed, sleeping."

Perking up, Tony gave the physicist a scandalous look as he amended, "You must be feeling _much_ better."

Bruce choked on his first sip of tea before loudly announcing for all parties to hear, "Nothing happened!" Pausing for a moment to cough some of the tea from his lungs, he continued. "I don't really know what happened, but she's just asleep. And fully clothed." After thinking over his odd morning, Bruce added, "But when I tried to wake her up, I couldn't."

Pepper looked up from her newspaper in alarm and was about to go check on her friend when Sesshoumaru grunted from his end of the phone line and asked, _"Was this "emergency" another one of Dr. Banner's headaches?"  
_  
"Um...yes?" Bruce replied unsurely. The man that he remembered had an intimidating quality about him and already sounded far from happy.

_"So I'm to assume that she was there to use her abilities to help get rid of said headache?"_ Sesshoumaru questioned further.

"Yes," Bruce answered a little more confidently this time.

Sesshoumaru hummed as he asked one last question, _"And how long did she use her abilities?"  
_  
"Uh..." Bruce was a little stumped at this question and gave the best answer that he had to offer. "I don't really know. I've been out cold for a couple of days."

_"Very well,"_ Sesshoumaru said with a resigned sigh. _"Depending on when she fell asleep, she likely won't be awake for several more hours. I doubt she told any of you this—irresponsible as she can be—but the use of her abilities takes a great deal of energy. If she uses them too much it isn't uncommon for her to lose consciousness."_ It was very quiet, but the occupants of the kitchen could hear the man mumble to himself, _"The girl needs to learn self-control."  
_  
Speaking up before Tony could say anything to anger one of his business partners, Pepper said, "Don't worry, Mr. Taishou. We'll take excellent care of Kagome until she's feeling better."

_"It is appreciated, Miss Potts,"_ Sesshoumaru said. _"If you would, also tell her not to worry about the business trip to Los Angeles. Since she is currently incapacitated, I will be making the trip this afternoon by myself."_

"I'll be sure to give her the message," Pepper said before the phone call was terminated.

Tony and Pepper watched as Bruce grabbed a large bowl, a spoon, his box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and the milk before coming to sit at the table with them. "So," Tony said as he twirled his fork between his fingers. "How close did you come to a panic attack when you woke up to Kagome sleeping in your bed?"

Bruce had to pick up a few stray pieces of cereal when the question caused him to spill some of the sugar-coated squares. "I-uh…I don't…" Bruce stuttered as he tried to piece together an answer. "It was startling," was all he answered. As he took his popped one of the stray pieces of cereal into his mouth, he prepared himself for the teasing that was sure to come from his best friend.

* * *

Kagome woke up only to snuggle deeper into her pillows. They smelled wonderful, and she wondered when the maid had switched detergents. As she inhaled the scent again, she realized that the smell didn't have the usual hints of soap that most detergents did. It was more earthy with hints of…cucumber? Frowning, she opened her eyes and looked at the pillow that she had been sniffing. Instead of seeing the familiar light pink pillowcases of her bed, she was greeted with bright white linens. It wasn't until she looked around the room that she remembered that she was in Bruce's room.

_'Did I sleep in his bed last night?'_ She thought slightly mortified. When she realized that she had been tucked into the middle of the bed and that Bruce was likely the one who had done it, she buried her face in one of the pillows she'd been admiring and let out a muffled scream of embarrassment.

A soft knock came from the bedroom door and Kagome jerked the pillow away from her face and into her lap before the person could enter. A light pink dusted her cheeks when Pepper stepped through the door with a knowing smile. "Jarvis let me know that you were awake," she explained as she walked over to a small closet. "And don't worry, the guys are in the lab making up for lost time; they didn't hear you scream." Pepper came away from the closet with a couple of towels and a washcloth. "I thought you might like a shower since, judging by what you arrived in yesterday, Tony abducted you mid-workout."

Relaxing considerably, Kagome smiled at the older woman and said, "You're awesome, Pepper. It's no wonder Tony asked you to marry him."

Pepper laughed as she motioned for Kagome to follow her. "This is Bruce's personal bathroom. I already checked with him and he said it was fine if you wanted to use it. It'll save you from Tony "accidentally" walking in on you in the one in the gym." Looking around, Pepper frowned. "Darn," she said. "I meant to bring you some of my shampoo. Wait just a minute, and I'll be right back."

Kagome watched as the redhead disappeared before she decided to be a little nosy. By just glancing around the bathroom, it looked like Bruce was a pretty neat and organized guy. The counters were clean and orderly, and everything seemed to have its own designated area. Spying the large bathtub, Kagome allowed her curiosity to get the better of her as she picked up the two-in-one shampoo/conditioner bottle. She popped open the lid and squeezed the bottle lightly as she took a delicate sniff. _'Cucumber,'_ she thought with a smile. It made sense; cucumber was a very soothing scent.

She was almost done running a nice hot bath when Pepper returned. "Here we go!" She chirped. "My shampoo smells like mint; I hope you don't mind," she said as she set her armload of supplies on the counter. "We have shampoo, conditioner, a leave-in conditioner spray, body wash, and I brought you a hairbrush, too."

"Thanks, Pepper," Kagome said with a smile. "Where are my clothes?"

"I set them in Bruce's room earlier. I'll go get them," she said before exiting the bathroom. Kagome was starting to brush out her long hair when Pepper called out to her again. "So it's been a while since we could talk. Last I heard you had just broken up with that reporter. Are you seeing anyone new?"

Sighing, Kagome answered, "No, I'm starting to resign myself to just being an old maid." Thinking a little more, she laughed as she added, "I guess I could always just talk Sesshoumaru into marrying me. We already live together and act like an old married couple."

"No, no, no," Pepper argued as she entered the bathroom with Kagome's neatly folded clothes. "If you're planning for a back-up husband, you need someone less…serious."

Kagome laughed at Pepper's polite description of her boss and friend. "Well, Inuyasha is his polar opposite, but that wouldn't work out either."

"Whatever happened to him?" Pepper asked. "Isn't he the one you were dating when we first met?"

Nodding, Kagome sighed and said, "Yeah, but we both acknowledge that for the mistake that it was. We were, and still are, best friends. We did okay as a couple, but it seemed like all we ever did was argue and then have "make-up" sessions."

Pepper smiled in understanding. She and Tony had been very close before entering a formal relationship, and she often wondered if they could ever go back to being just friends. "So it isn't awkward now after you've dated?"

"Not really," Kagome answered as she placed the brush down and turned to face her friend fully. "The only real difference is that if I make a joke about his manhood now, I know exactly what I'm making fun of."

Both women laughed at the joke before Pepper hugged Kagome and allowed her to get on with her bath. As the petite woman sank into the large tub of hot water, she made a mental note to get Sesshoumaru to put a tub of this size in her bathroom.

* * *

Bruce was in the lab helping Tony with one of the tests he wanted to run on Kagome's blood when Kagome poked her head in. "Hi," she said with a light blush. Stepping into the room a little more, she continued, "Sorry about falling asleep…you know…in your bed."

"Don't worry about it," Bruce said with barely a glance in her direction. Truth be told, he was still a little embarrassed about it as well, and Tony's teasing hadn't helped.

"Thanks for letting me use your tub, too," Kagome said as she took a seat on one of the room's rolling work stools. She watched Tony curiously as he casually walked over to her and pulled a lock of damp hair over her shoulder. Realizing what he was doing just before he did it, Kagome braced herself as a single strand was plucked from her head.

"Thanks," he said happily as he placed the long strand in a small plastic bag.

Kagome rubbed her slightly stinging scalp as she mumbled, "No problem." Watching Bruce work, she slid her stool over to the lab table and quietly asked, "How's your head today?"

Bruce breathed his way through his nervousness at Kagome's proximity before he answered, "Good. No pain so far today."

"But you're still working in the lab," she observed. "You mentioned the other day that you used to meditate. Do you still do that?"

Shaking his head slightly, Bruce said, "I did for a while after moving into the tower, but I fell out of practice more than a year ago."

Kagome smiled up at the man as she quietly said, "If I asked nicely, would you start meditating again? It would probably be a big help with getting you to de-stress."

"Maybe," Bruce chuckled as Kagome exaggeratedly fluttered her eyelashes at him. "But why would you care how stressed I am? We barely know each other."

"That's something that can easily be fixed," Kagome quickly stated as she spun around on the stool; it was something that she had never been able to stop herself from doing in spinning chairs. "And I care because I still want to help you. You should _let_ me help you."

Suddenly struck by a flashing memory of his latest dream and a strong sense of déjà vu, Bruce finally turned to look at her as she brought her spinning to a stop. "I can't let you help me," he said.

"Why?" Kagome asked with a confused frown.

Knowing that Tony was listening to every word that was being said, Bruce hesitated for a moment before he said, "You might get hurt."

Much like her reaction in his dream, she merely laughed at him. "You should have more faith in people, Bruce. I'll be fine. But I'll make a deal with you," Kagome said as she stood from the stool so that she didn't have to crane her head up as high. "I want to help you get a grip on this stress and your headaches and your transformations. Meditate every day for this coming week, come out to Sesshoumaru's on Saturday, and meditate with me in the gardens. I'll show you how I helped my friend that I told you about. If you don't feel any better by the time you leave, I'll stop bothering you about it."

Bruce was hesitant. On one hand, he was curious as to what Kagome thought that she could do to help him. On the other, he was afraid of hurting someone else or getting hurt himself. If he got his hopes up based simply on Kagome's words, he knew that this endeavor could be just as heartbreaking as all of his other attempts to get a handle on the 'other guy'. But apparently he hesitated just a little too long.

"I'll drop him off," Tony said from his corner of the room.

Kagome smiled brightly as she turned to face the billionaire's back. "Thank you, Mr. Stark."

"Sir," Jarvis's voice suddenly sounded through the room. "Miss Higurashi's car has arrived to take her home."

"Perfect timing. Thanks, Jarvis!" Kagome answered. Turning back to face Bruce, she said, "Even if Sesshoumaru isn't at home, I still have to get back and take care of some work that I missed yesterday." She stepped forward before stopping short. But tossing her initial hesitation to the wind, Kagome stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around Bruce's shoulders in a loose hug.

Bruce froze, wide-eyed, and stared at Tony hoping for a cue on what he should do. It had been so long since someone had outright hugged him that he wasn't sure whether or not to invite the gesture or not. He could see Tony's smirk in the reflection of the monitor he was working at and knew that his friend was going to be of no help in the situation. Slowly, gently, he wrapped his arms around Kagome's small waist and gave her a gentle squeeze in return. It took a couple of seconds before a familiar scent wafted up to him, but the gentle scent of cucumber tickled his nose. _'Did she use my shampoo?'_ He thought in surprise. _'I thought Pepper was going to bring her some of hers.'_ Though he wouldn't have protested a longer hug, Bruce readily let go when he felt Kagome pull away.

"Okay then," she said tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'll see you next Saturday." When the scientist nodded, she gave a quick goodbye to Tony before jogging out of the room.

It was quiet in the lab for all of a minute before Tony started quietly singing, "Bruce and Kagome sitting in a tree—"

Bruce tossed a pen at the back of Tony's head, and when it collided the man merely laughed before he returned to his work of carefully cutting segments from Kagome's hair.

Several minutes later, Pepper popped into the lab and asked, "Did Kagome already leave?" When she received an affirmative answer, she frowned. "That's too bad. I was going to ask her about having a girl's night next weekend."

"Any day except for Saturday," Tony answered sounding a little too happy for Bruce's liking. "Bruce and Kagome have a date."

"A date?" Pepper asked surprised as she turned to look at a lightly blushing Bruce.

"It isn't a date," he explained. "She's going to help me with some meditation." Thinking back to Kagome's departing hug, Bruce quickly thought to ask, "Pepper, did you take Kagome some of your shampoo earlier?"

"Yeah, why?" The redhead asked curiously.

Brushing off the question as casually as he could, Bruce quickly shrugged his shoulders as he said, "Just checking." As he went back to his work, he continued to quietly wonder why Kagome would use his shampoo when she had Pepper's more feminine products available. And further along the same line of questioning, he wondered why knowing that she used his shampoo made him smile.

* * *

AN: New chapter! Yay! This is a day later than I wanted it to be because I wanted to do a quick St. Patrick's Day picture of Kagome and Bruce. I thought it was fitting with the green and all. If you'd like to see it, it can be found on deviantArt. My username is ConIncon. While writing this chapter I started listening to the song Science and Faith by The Script and thought that it was pretty fitting for Kagome and Bruce. Go check it out. And as for why I chose cucumber instead of other soothing scents, it's just a personal choice. A big migraine trigger for me is artificial scents, and cucumber is one of the few artificial that I can tolerate. It has actually become very soothing over the years. Almost all of my body products (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, etc) is either cucumber or green tea scented. Okay, enough rambling from me. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think, thanks for reading, and I'll hopefully see you next time around!


	4. Chapter 4

AN: I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who has reviewed so far. You guys are so awesome! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far, and I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much.

Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor The Avengers nor any of their characters. Those belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Marvel/Disney, respectively. I only own any original characters that may appear.

* * *

Control

Chapter Four

The appointed Saturday for Kagome and Bruce's "play date" (as Tony had taken to calling it) arrived quickly. As a man of his word, Tony personally drove Bruce to the Taishou mansion. The flashy sports car slowed to a stop in front of the large home's front steps, and Tony turned to look at his friend. "Spending the day at a pretty girl's house," he sighed. "My little Brucey is growing up so fast."

Giving Tony a flat look, Bruce replied, "I'm a year older than you."

"Six months," Tony corrected quickly. "And that isn't the point."

"Then please, what is the point?" Bruce asked. He was already a little grumpy. All week, he'd been questioning whether or not a day of meditation with Kagome was really a good idea. The only thing that really made him decide to go through with it was the fact that taking up meditation again had actually seemed to help him relax again and lower the frequency of his headaches.

Pulling off his sunglasses, Tony said, "The point is that you have someone—a very attractive young woman, at that—who really wants to try to help you and be your friend, and I think that's something that you could use. You need a wider social circle than me, Pepper, and the team."

Bruce pushed a hand through his hair anxiously before saying, "I don't _want_ a wider social circle, Tony. I like peace and quiet and privacy."

"I don't believe that," the slightly younger man argued. "I think you convinced yourself of that after you started living in your self-imposed exile."

"It wasn't self-imposed," Bruce pointed out. "I was, and still am, a fugitive of the military. The only reason Ross hasn't had me taken in is probably because of S.H.I.E.L.D." Mentioning the General left a bad taste in Bruce's mouth, and immediately thinking of the man's daughter afterward didn't help improve his mood.

"That just shows that you're getting a second chance!" Tony exclaimed excitedly. "If this meditation stuff works out for you, it probably wouldn't hurt you to get back on the dating scene."

Bruce looked at Tony like the man had lost his mind. "No," he said. "No for a lot of reasons. I mean, I'm almost old enough to be her dad, for crying out loud."

Puzzled for only a moment, a broad grin stretched across Tony's face when he realized exactly who Bruce was talking about. "I never mentioned anything about dating Kagome," he said cheekily.

"I…" Backpedaling quickly, Bruce defended, "Neither did I."

"Right," Tony drawled as he put his sunglasses back on, the smile never leaving his face. "Well go ahead and have your play _date_, and just call the tower for a ride home when you're done."

Exiting the car, Bruce made his way up the mansion's stone front steps, but the door opened before he was able to knock. A middle-aged woman in a maid's uniform greeted him with a soft smile. "You must be Miss Kagome's guest, Dr. Banner?" She questioned.

A little surprised by the greeting—for all his money and status, Bruce couldn't recall ever seeing housekeepers in Tony's home—Bruce just awkwardly nodded as he reached the top step.

"Welcome," the maid said as she held the door and stepped aside for him to enter. "Miss is already in the gardens setting up for your session. Follow me, please."

Glancing around the spacious entryway, Bruce could see that the home was obviously very old. He wasn't an architecture expert, but he would hazard a guess of pre-turn-of-the-century. He could also see several more maids scurrying about dusting, washing windows, and mopping. When they finally made it to a set of glass doors that he vaguely remembered from the night of the party, the maid who had greeted him opened the doors for him and smiled as she stepped outside and spotted Kagome.

"We all enjoy having Miss Kagome here with us so much," she suddenly spoke as she turned to face him. "Mr. Taishou is a generous employer, but Miss Kagome brought a breath of fresh air with her when she moved in. While she hasn't spoken of what your troubles are, I'm sure she'll be able to help you. She's done wonders for Mr. Taishou's younger brother." Excusing herself, she stepped back inside and gently shut the doors behind her.

Bruce looked out into the yard and saw Kagome holding a stretch that looked vaguely like a yoga pose. He crossed the veranda and descended the steps before stopping to look at Kagome again. It was a sunny day and the bright rays made her sun-kissed skin flush a little. A thin, long-sleeved pastel pink top clung tightly to her torso, and he tried not to notice the way the sunlight made the white material of her thin, wide-legged pants almost translucent. Groaning softly, he ran a hand over his face and fought the urge to run. His many years of celibacy were apparently catching up to him.

Because she was in a pose that required her to stand on one foot, Kagome almost fell over when she heard the deep sound of someone clearing their throat. As she righted herself she looked up and smiled brightly when she saw her guest. "Bruce!" She greeted as she walked over and gave him a quick hug. "I'm so glad that you decided to give this a try."

He wanted to say that between her and Tony he really didn't have a choice, but Bruce held his tongue and smiled back wanly. "So what exactly are we going to be doing?"

"Follow me," Kagome said as she rolled up her yoga mat and walked further into the gardens following a path of soft, green grass. They passed by many sections of different flowers and trees and shrubs, and all of the sweet, natural scents made a small smile pull at Bruce's mouth. When Kagome came to a stop, Bruce noticed that there was a blanket, a few pillows, and a small picnic basket set up in front of a lattice covered in jasmine vines, the small white flowers in full bloom. Turning to face him, Kagome said, "I went ahead and set this up earlier. This is one of my favorite spots in the garden."

"I can see why," Bruce agreed as he watched her set her mat to the side and plop down to sit on one of the pillows on the blanket. When she patted the spot in front of her, Bruce easily slipped his shoes off and stepped forward to join her.

"So here's how it's going to work," Kagome said holding out her arms. "You'll hold my forearms, and I'll hold yours." She paused, waiting for Bruce to follow her instructions. When his large hands gently grasped her arms, she continued, "I'm going to lead you through sort of a guided meditation. I think you have a lot of things that you repress and bottle up; maybe some feelings or memories that you've never really dealt with. We'll only focus on one memory or feeling per day, though."

Nodding to acknowledge that he was following along so far, Bruce spoke up, "Why hold each other's arms? I usually just rest my hands on my knees when I meditate."

"Aside from showing support, it's has a couple of functions for us," Kagome explained as she gently tapped a couple of fingers on Bruce's arms where she held them. "It'll let me use my powers to help keep you calm so that you don't transform, and I want you to have a physical outlet if your emotions start to get to be too much. I don't want you to hold anything inside. Just squeeze my arms to let it flow out of you."

Bruce immediately tried to let go, but Kagome held tight. "No," he argued as fear began to spread through him. "I could seriously hurt you like that. You don't know what you're dealing with."

Squeezing his arms reassuringly as he continued to try to pull away from her, Kagome said, "Bruce, you need to trust me." When she saw that she had his attention again, she continued, "I know what you're capable of. Tony, um…Tony may have sent me some footage. But this is going both ways! I trust you to know what you're doing and to let me know if we're going too far. What I need is for you to trust me when I say that I know what I'm doing, and I can handle whatever happens. Can you do that?"

Bruce looked into Kagome's face searchingly. He wanted to find any hint of uncertainty or second thoughts in her eyes or her expression, something that would let him call this off with good reason…but all that he found was a confidence that rivaled Tony's. She was so sure in her ability to help him. How could he not place some of his trust in her? He slowly gripped her forearms again and took a deep breath before locking his dark brown eyes with her blue-grey ones. Nodding, he waited for her to continue.

Kagome smiled when Bruce began to relax again. "Okay," she began in a soft, soothing voice. "What kind of emotions trigger your transformations? If I know now I can be better prepared when we get to those."

Hesitating for a moment, Bruce realized for the first time just how vulnerable this was going to leave him. He couldn't help it if people gleaned information about him through observations, but he rarely shared information about himself. Only a few people who had learned the truth about him had stayed with him, and some of his friends were still nervous around him at times. Would Kagome withdraw from him as she learned more?

"Bruce?" Kagome asked gently as she gave his arms another soft squeeze to bring him from his thoughts. "We have all day. You can take as much time to answer as you need."

He looked at her again, and concern radiated from her. With the Hulk's heightened senses, he swore that he could almost smell it. _'She really does want to help,'_ he thought as he took another deep breath. "Anger and fear, mostly," Bruce finally answered quietly. "If I feel like I'm in danger, I'll transform," he added. "Those are times that I can't stop it or control it. If I feel like I have to, like when I'm on a mission with the team, I can transform almost at will, but I still can't really control what I do afterwards. I usually don't even remember what happens."

"Okay," Kagome nodded. "Are you ready to get started?"

Bruce wasn't really sure if he was ready or not, but he didn't give himself time to hesitate as he said, "Yeah."

"Close your eyes," Kagome instructed. "Take deep, calm breaths. Focus on the smell of the flowers and the sun on your face."

A soft, warm sensation began to travel up Bruce's arms and spread through his chest and he knew that Kagome had begun to used her abilities to put him in a calm state. He continued to breathe and listen to Kagome's voice.

"Now then, I'm going to ask you some questions, okay?" She asked in the same soothing voice that she had used earlier. "You don't have to answer out loud, but I'll be able to guide you better if you do." There was a short pause before her first question. "What was the first focus of your anger and why did you repress it?"

A face immediately flashed to the front of Bruce's mind and he tensed. Shaking slightly as he tried to breathe through his anger, he softly said, "My father."

Nodding even though she knew he couldn't see it, Kagome continued to push her power into Bruce as she felt his grip tighten around her arms slightly. "What did he do to make you angry?" She asked.

Bruce flinched at the memories he tried every day to forget; memories of the drunken beatings that his father would hand out not only to himself but to his mother. He remembered the way his mother would try to protect and shield him from his father's abuse. She protected him all the way up until the night that his father did the unspeakable. "He…" Bruce choked on his words as angry tears burned his eyes. "He did terrible things."

Kagome felt her heart break for the man in front of her. She barely remembered her own father, but they were all happy memories of a smiling man who loved his family. "Where is your father now?" She asked. _'If he had this much resentment for the man, it may be good for Bruce to confront his father about his feelings later,'_ she thought.

"Dead," Bruce answered immediately. He remembered the exact day. The confrontation with his father by his mother's grave in the cemetery. "I…I didn't…" He bit his lip hard in an effort to keep the words inside, but remembering what Kagome had said, he allowed his trust in her to draw out what had been buried for so long. "I didn't mean to do it," he said. "It was an accident."

Despite the sunny day, Kagome felt a sudden chill take over her at the quiet admission. "What was an accident, Bruce?" She prodded gently.

With a deep, shaking breath, Bruce answered, "I killed my father. He killed my mother, and I killed him." The memory completely overtook him. His father was the first person that he had ever killed, and he had done it before his gamma ray exposure. He was a monster even before the monster was a part of him. Tightening his hands as his breathing became ragged, Bruce said, "I'm no different from him. A monster can't breed anything but a monster for a child."

Kagome's heart began to speed up as she heard Bruce's voice deepen. He was gripping her arms almost painfully and his shoulders were shaking. She continued to pour her power into him in hopes of counterbalancing the effects that his anger had on his body, but when his eyes opened to stare at her, she was met with bright green instead of calm brown.

The world seemed to freeze around them as the infamous Hulk stared out at her through Bruce's face. Kagome focused on keeping her breathing even and not wincing as Bruce's grip tightened even more. Testing the shaky ground that she had decided to tread on, Kagome questioned in the softest voice that she could manage, "Hulk?" The answer she received was a snarl that made her body tense up. She knew that it was her body's preparation to run, but she doubted that she would be able to get away with the grip that Bruce had on her arms. "Can Bruce come back out, please?" She tried to reason.

With a firm huff, the deep voice of the Hulk rumbled from Bruce's mouth, "Hurt."

Kagome was confused for a moment. What did "hurt" mean? Was Bruce hurt? Was the Hulk going to hurt her? Or Bruce? But it dawned on her what the beast behind the man meant when she really took a moment to look into his eyes. They were sad and full of pain. Did the Hulk want to talk to her like Bruce was? Did he want help? "You hurt?" She questioned as her fear began to slowly fade.

Another huff and a small nod.

"What makes you hurt?" She asked. It wouldn't dawn on her until several hours later just how surreal the situation was.

"Change," Hulk answered. "Change hurt. Make Hulk angry," he growled out with a deep frown.

In that moment, Kagome's heart broke for both Bruce and the Hulk. She remembered the night of the party and how much pain Bruce appeared to be in during his transformation. At the time she thought that it was due mostly to the migraine. But it made more sense now. A transformation of that magnitude would have to be extremely painful if it wasn't done willingly. Bruce usually only felt the after-effects when he awoke, but he must pass out mid-transformation. The Hulk was left to ride out the pain on his own. "I'm so sorry," she said as tears began to gather in the corners of her eyes.

"'Gome help Bruce. Help Hulk," the deep voice rumbled again before the green started to fade from Bruce's eyes and was replaced with the deep brown that she was familiar with.

When Bruce came back to the moment, he knew that something wasn't right. He was used to losing time in meditation, so the small black out wouldn't have been as concerning if he hadn't come back to a stricken-looking Kagome with wet trails making their way down her cheeks. "Bruce?" She asked quietly.

The hesitancy in her voice told him what he needed to know. He quickly pulled away from her grasp while apologizing, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." Trying to stand up and get away from her, he hadn't expected for her hand to reach out and grab his. Slowly, almost fearful of what he would find, he turned back around to look at Kagome.

Kagome pressed a hand to her eyes as several more tears escaped her eyes, but she shook her head as she tried to explain, "You didn't hurt me." Wiping at both eyes with the back and heel of her hand, Kagome cleared her throat before saying, "Please sit back down." She held Bruce's hand until he was seated again and noticed that he looked very anxious. "You didn't do anything," she reassured. "You…I just…I just had no idea."

"About what?" Bruce asked unsure if he wanted the answer.

"He came out and I talked to him," Kagome continued.

Deeply hoping for a negative answer, but knowing what she would say, Bruce asked, "The 'other guy'?"

Kagome nodded as she continued to try to reign in her emotions. She had never expected to speak to Bruce's other half, much less to find out the heartbreaking truth of their dichotomy. They were two very distinct halves of the same whole. They thought as two but felt as one. "He wants help, too," she said. The question suddenly occurring to her, she asked, "Do the two of you ever communicate?"

"No," Bruce answered immediately. He was becoming more and more curious as to what the 'other guy' could have said to Kagome. He wasn't usually known to be chatty.

"Bruce," Kagome asked tentatively. "Do your transformations hurt?"

As nobody had ever asked that question before, Bruce was surprised when the topic was brought up. His immediate instinct was to deny the pain and brush it off, but the reason for him being in the gardens with Kagome in the first place kept him from lying. "Very much," he answered honestly.

"They hurt him, too," Kagome said simply.

The information honestly surprised Bruce. From everything that he had seen and been told, the 'other guy' had built up this reputation as being almost indestructible, so Bruce had never really thought that something like their transformation would faze him much. He was brought out of his thoughts when Kagome spoke again.

"And I'm sorry about your mother and father," she said quietly.

When Bruce thought about what he had remembered during their meditation, he realized something. The anger wasn't gone—far from it—but it felt different. It didn't make his chest feel heavy or make his throat tighten. Admitting what he had done and verbally acknowledging what his father had done had removed some of the weight. "Thank you," Bruce said softly. After subconsciously carrying around the weight of his and his father's sins for so many years, the lightness that Bruce felt was a little overwhelming. He had just felt the first tear roll down his cheek when Kagome pulled him into a hug. Placing her hand on the back of his head, she pulled him so that his forehead rested on her shoulder.

"You can cry if you need to," she offered. "I'm here."

Memories of his mother doing something similar with him when he was young and upset broke the dam. Slowly, his arms wrapped around Kagome's small frame and his hands gripped her shoulders tightly. Years of missing his mother and hating his father escaped into the soft cotton of Kagome's shirt, and she never said a word about it. She merely made soft, calming noises in the back of her throat while one hand rubbed his back and the fingers of the other massaged his scalp.

Bruce had no idea how long they stayed like that, and he really didn't care. He couldn't remember the last time that he allowed himself to let go and really cry. His memories, however terrible, would always be part of him, and he knew that he would never be able to forgive his father. But maybe he would be able to start forgiving himself for an accident.

When he eventually pulled away from Kagome's embrace, it was with no small amount of embarrassment. They had only met a few weeks ago, and he had just cried on her shoulder like a child. Despite this, Kagome didn't say a word about it and for that he was grateful. She simply smiled at him before reaching behind her to pull the nearby picnic basket closer. "Are you hungry? I packed a lunch for us," She said.

Bruce suddenly realized that he was starving. It was really no wonder since the 'other guy' had apparently made a small appearance; he was usually ravenous after full transformations. While he didn't want to be a bother or a burden, it seemed that Kagome had planned ahead for them to have lunch together anyway. Who was he to refuse? "Lunch sounds great," he answered with an easy smile.

"Great!" Kagome said excitedly. She began pulling out different containers and removing their lids. "Okay," she began as she pointed out what she had neatly arranged. "We have salad, penne pasta mixed with some grilled vegetables and light olive oil, and some fresh fruit." When she looked up and saw Bruce's surprised expression, her nerves got the best of her and she began to ramble. "Is this okay? I called Pepper to see what kind of food you like, and she said that you were a vegetarian. I hope it isn't weird or creepy that I called. I felt a little like a stalker while I was doing it—"

Bruce held up a hand to bring Kagome's rapid speech to a stop. "It isn't "weird or creepy,"" he reassured. "It was thoughtful and I appreciate it."

Kagome took a breath and relaxed. "I'm glad," she said with a smile. "So everything is okay?"

"Everything looks delicious," Bruce reassured her once more.

As they fixed their plates, Kagome tried to strike up a conversation with the scientist. "So do you have any particular reason that you're a vegetarian?" She remembered their drinks just after asking and set her plate aside to fetch two water bottles from the picnic basket.

Accepting the water offered to him, Bruce answered, "I've never been much of a meat eater. I also prefer organic food, and it's just easier to find organic produce than meat." Taking a bite of his salad, he asked, "What about you?"

Kagome looked sheepish before saying, "I'm not a vegetarian. I actually _really_ like meat."

Laughing at the flush creeping across Kagome's cheeks, Bruce said, "That's nothing to be embarrassed about. To each their own." He watched as she relaxed and started eating again before adding, "I'm not a very strict vegetarian, anyway." At Kagome's surprised look, he explained, "While I prefer to eat vegetarian, I spent a lot of time traveling abroad with little to no money. I would help people where I could and they would usually repay me by giving me a room for the night and something to eat. I couldn't be picky about what came my way. And even now, with a steady home and plenty of vegetarian options, I still have to eat meat occasionally. My um…my transformations put a lot of strain on my body, and I need amounts of protein that I just can't get from a vegetarian diet."

Kagome blinked several times hearing this. "I'm sorry," she finally said. "It must be hard not being able to live your life the way you want."

"Well," Bruce said quietly as he punctured a small tomato with his fork. "People don't always get what they want. Why should I be an exception?"

"If anyone should be an exception, Bruce, you deserve to be," Kagome answered truthfully.

Feeling a little uncomfortable under the compliment, Bruce changed topics. "So," he said, "does a home like this require a lot of upkeep?" At Kagome's puzzled expression, he elaborated, "I was curious because I saw several maids on my way through the house."

"Oh," Kagome said as she realized what he was talking about. Rolling her eyes, she answered, "It requires some maintenance, but not as much as you would think. There are several maids, a couple of cooks, a couple of gardeners, and some others who do odd jobs around the house, but that's the way Sesshoumaru was raised." She saw that it was Bruce's turn to be confused before she smiled and continued, "Back in Japan, Sesshoumaru's family was part of the aristocracy. He grew up with servants and didn't feel the need to change when he came to America. Though I will say that everyone is a little more busy than usual because Sesshoumaru gets back from L.A. tonight, and he likes coming home to a spotless house."

Bruce nodded his understanding. "Did you know each other back in Japan?" He asked as they continued to eat lunch.

"Yes and no," Kagome answered. "I knew him, but I didn't know him well. I only met him because his brother is my best friend. But Sesshoumaru and I got to know each other pretty well when I came to stay with him. I guess you could say we're pretty good friends."

"Do you miss Japan?" He asked. He had traveled through Japan briefly and thought that it was beautiful.

Shrugging, Kagome said, "Sometimes. I lived in Tokyo so it wasn't a huge shock to move to New York. I mostly miss my family."

"Will you tell me about them?" Bruce asked gently. Since he hadn't had a wonderful childhood or family life, he always liked hearing about other people's families and memories.

"Sure," Kagome said before launching into her descriptions. "I grew up on a Shinto shrine with my Mom, Grandpa, and little brother, Souta. Mom's great. She always encouraged us no matter what we wanted to do. Not to mention that she's a great cook! Grandpa's a little crazy, but he's fun to talk to. He always has a story for everything. And Souta…well, he's like any other little brother, I guess. He's annoying and loud, but we look out for each other. I probably wouldn't have graduated from middle school if it wasn't for him."

Bruce looked up from his food at the last comment and asked, "Why's that?"

Realizing what she had said, Kagome immediately fell back on an old excuse and said, "I was sick a lot during my last year. Nothing serious, though." When Bruce seemed to accept the answer, she was grateful. After telling him about her family, she wanted to know more about him, but she wasn't sure if he would welcome the questions. _'Especially considering what he said during our session,'_ she thought. But she was pulled back to the conversation when Bruce spoke up again.

"What about your father? You didn't mention him," he said as he picked up a strawberry.

Smiling sadly, Kagome said, "He died in a car accident when I was eight. He was a great dad, though."

Bruce immediately felt like an ass. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay," Kagome interrupted. "You didn't know and there's nothing wrong with asking. It happened a long time ago."

After that the two settled into easy conversation about anything and everything, but they avoided the topic of family. Kagome told him about their family's shrine and her hobbies, and Bruce spoke of his work in different scientific fields and what it was like to travel the world living out of a single bag. When the sun began to set, Bruce gave Tony a call, and Kagome gave Bruce a tour of Sesshoumaru's home while they waited Bruce's ride.

They were already sitting on the front steps, still talking, when Tony pulled up in a small convertible sports car. "Kagome!" He greeted as he stepped out of the car and walked around to meet the two on the other side of the car. "How did today go?" He asked the two of them with a broad grin.

"Everything went really well," Kagome said immediately. She didn't notice the look that a blushing Bruce was giving a smug Tony since she was completely unaware of the short conversation that the two had when Tony was dropping Bruce off earlier in the day.

"Is that so?" Tony asked. "Do you think this might become a regular thing?"

Kagome looked up at Bruce and smiled as she invited, "I'd love to keep working with you if you want to keep going."

Bruce thought back to Kagome's words the day in the lab. She had told him that he would feel better afterward, and she had been correct. Confronting old memories and buried emotions was difficult and draining, but there was a sense of peace he felt afterwards that he wanted to feel again. "That would be nice," he said. "When is best for you?" He knew that Kagome was about as busy with Sesshoumaru as Pepper was with Tony, but he didn't have a formal job. He spent his days in the lab or workshop helping Tony develop new technology.

"What about Saturdays?" Kagome proposed. "We can get together once a week for our sessions, and you can keep up with your own meditation during the week. How's that?"

"That sounds perfect," Tony interjected as he slung an arm around Bruce's shoulders. "I'll give up my science-bro for a few hours on Saturdays."

"But?" Kagome asked warily. Tony always had a bargain or deal to make. He rarely did anything for nothing in return.

"But," Tony picked up with a smirk. "You have to give me a kiss."

Leaning away from the taller man, Kagome argued, "You're engaged to my friend!"

"People kiss hello and goodbye all the time!" He said. "It's not like I'm not trying to lure you into an affair."

Kagome looked between Bruce and Tony and saw that Bruce looked just as shocked by Tony as she did. _'If it will get rid of him and bring Bruce back,'_ she thought with a sigh as she motioned for Tony to lean down. Stepping forward, Kagome placed a quick peck on Tony's cheek and said, "There, happy?"

"Very," he answered as he straightened looking every bit like the cat that caught the canary. Looking over to his friend, he could see that Bruce was far from happy at his previous display, but Tony really couldn't care less at the moment. Not only did he get a kiss from Kagome, but he managed to get plenty of fuel for teasing his friend on the way home. It was a good day in his book.

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AN: And that's it for chapter four! I hope everyone enjoyed it. Sorry if things seem a little choppy. I do my writing in Google Drive and jump back and forth between using my computer, tablet, and phone. So I end up writing pieces and then stitching them together into a chapter. Hopefully it doesn't come across too terribly. Anyway, let me know what you think, thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time around!


	5. Side Story

AN: This is an interconnected one-shot chapter/side-story type thing. You don't have to read it. It has no real impact on plot or storyline of 'Control', but it does take place during the story's timeline. This isn't going to become a regular thing. It's just something that I feel like I have to do right now.

This story is dedicated to the memory of a very dear friend that I grew up with. Hours ago, I found out that he was very recently killed in a robbery/mugging. He was stabbed in the street and left to die just for the money in his wallet. He was a wonderful person and loyal friend who always had time to make his friends laugh when they were sad and always had a hug for those who needed one. He will be dearly missed.

Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor The Avengers nor any of their characters. Those belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Marvel/Disney, respectively. I only own any original characters that may appear.

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Control

Side Story

Kagome was washing her face and getting ready for bed when she heard a commotion downstairs. Quickly drying her face, she stepped into the hall and heard a familiar voice talking with Sesshoumaru. A bright smile lit her face as she ran towards the staircase and descended the steps as quickly as she could without tripping. She was ready to launch herself into the arms of her best friend, but she stopped cold at what she saw. Inuyasha was leaning against the doorway as he and Sesshoumaru spoke, but his shirt was torn on one side and his hand was pressed firmly to his side to stem the flowing blood.

"Inuyasha!" She shouted as she ran forward. "What happened?"

Scoffing lightly as he pushed away her fretting hands, Inuyasha answered, "I ran into a rogue demon on my way here. He was hunting in the city, so I stopped him."

Turning to Sesshoumaru, Kagome asked, "Can you help me get him to the bathroom? I want to check his wound." The tall demon agreed, but not before looking utterly put out by the request.

"Get off," Inuyasha griped as he limped down the hallway on his own. "I know where the bathroom is, and I can walk just fine on my own."

Kagome frowned as she followed him. "Hey! We're just trying to help!" She yelled.

Turning around quickly and laying his ears back flat against his head, Inuyasha snapped, "Well I don't need it."

Her jaw tensed, but Kagome did her best to hold her tongue. They wouldn't get anywhere and he wouldn't let her help him at all if they got into one of their fights. She followed him all the way to the bathroom and made him sit on the side of the tub. Quickly pulling out the bandages and gauze, Kagome organized her supplies on the sink counter in silence. With a wet rag in hand, she moved Inuyasha's bloodied hand from his side and began to clean the edges of the jagged claw mars. Under her breath, she breathed, "I wish you would come home just once without me having to patch you up."

"I don't recall ever asking you to play nurse," Inuyasha quickly replied.

"Why are you always in such a bad mood whenever you come back?" She asked, her voice a little louder than she had intended.

Looking away from the first real friend he had ever made, Inuyasha frowned as he said, "Because every time I come back I see how dangerous this city can be."

"Maybe that's because you go looking for trouble," Kagome responded as she pressed fresh gauze across the deep cuts running across his side and stomach.

"I might look for it, but it finds you easy enough on its own," he said while biting back a grimace. He hated the way gauze made his skin itch. The wounds would heal soon enough on their own, but fixing him up made Kagome feel better so he always let her.

Kagome brought her gaze up to lock with amber eyes as she asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Catching her full attention when he grabbed her arm as she reached for the bandages, he said, "It means I don't like you living in this city."

"And where would you like for me to live?" She asked before snatching up the bandages despite his hold on her.

Inuyasha shrugged as Kagome began to wrap the white material around his abdomen. She had made several passes of the bandage roll behind his back when she paused with her arms still wrapped around him. Inuyasha felt her arms tighten around him before he watched her shoulders begin to shake. Sighing, he rested his clean, unbloody hand on the back of her head before saying, "Come on, Kagome. This isn't even close to the worst injury I've ever had. You know I'm tougher than that."

"That's not the point," She choked out around her tears as she buried her face into his chest.

"Then what is?" He asked.

Giving several hiccups, Kagome finally said, "I don't ever want to lose you."

"You won't," he reassured in a soft tone that he reserved specifically for her.

"How do you know?" She asked as her shoulders shook with another sob.

Reaching behind his back, Inuyasha took the bandage roll from Kagome and finished tying his own wrappings before he slid off of the tub to sit in the floor. He gently pulled Kagome to sit with him, their backs to the bathtub's wall, and he tucked her in close to his uninjured side. "Because someone has to be around to watch after you, dummy."

Kagome snapped her head up to look at him with a mix of anger and sadness. "That doesn't mean you can't die from some stupid stunt! Then who will be here?"

"I will," he answered plainly.

Momentarily speechless from his frank answer, Kagome shook her head in confusion before asking, "What?"

"You think death will stop me from watching out for you?" Inuyasha scoffed at the idea and leaned down to rest his forehead against Kagome's soft hair. "I'll always be there for you…always," he promised.

Kagome didn't have a response and only held Inuyasha tighter as they sat together in the silence of the bathroom. If she closed her eyes, she could remember them sitting in a similar way back in the feudal era. He hadn't gotten himself killed then or in the time between eras, but that didn't mean that it couldn't happen. Keeping her eyes closed, Kagome stayed with Inuyasha in the bathroom for several more hours, unwilling to leave his side just yet.

They'd had their problems and disagreements over the years, but their promises to each other had always held true. She would always be the friend by his side, and he would always be her protector. Always.

* * *

AN: Not much, but writing is really the best outlet that I have for dealing with things. Thanks for reading. Chapter Five should be up in the next day or two.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor The Avengers nor any of their characters. Those belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Marvel/Disney, respectively. I only own any original characters that may appear.

* * *

Control

Chapter Five

The late summer day was warm and sunny as Tony drove Bruce to his session with Kagome. They had been meeting for several weeks and Bruce felt better all the time. His headaches had almost completely disappeared, and he was genuinely happy. Tony pulled into the driveway and stopped in front of the steps as he usually did, but because the top was down on the convertible it quickly became apparent that Kagome wasn't happy at the moment. The two men could both hear Kagome's voice from behind the large home as she shouted at someone, though they couldn't make out the words being said.

Being the first time that Bruce had ever heard Kagome that upset, he turned to look at Tony since his friend had known her for much longer. After listening for another moment, Tony's eyes brightened with realization. "Oh, this is fantastic. It almost feels like it should be my birthday," he said as he exited the car and bounded up the front steps.

Bruce quickly followed his friend and stood by as Tony rang the mansion's doorbell. He was a little surprised that Evelynn, the head maid, hadn't been there to greet him like she usually was, and he was even more surprised when a disgruntled-looking Sesshoumaru Taishou answered the door himself. "Stark," Sesshoumaru ground out.

"When did he get in?" Tony asked while trying to make sure that his smirk wasn't _too_ big.

"Last night," Sesshoumaru answered wearily as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "They have been going nonstop ever since."

"What are you talking about?" Bruce asked the two men, thoroughly confused.

Turning to his best friend and science-bro, Tony smiled as he said, "Do you hear that?" They were quiet for a moment and all three of them could still hear Kagome yelling back and forth with another voice. "I have only ever met one person who can make our dear Kagome that upset," Tony explained. "And it's fantastic to watch; like a two-person verbal war. I wish I'd brought snacks."

Not sure if he really wanted to know the answer, Bruce asked, "Who is she yelling at?"

"My brother," Sesshoumaru answered tiredly. "They are in the back. Follow me," he said as he stepped away from the door and made his way towards the back of the house. Tony followed readily while Bruce lagged behind to gently shut the wooden door.

When the three men stepped onto the stone veranda running along the back of the house, they were greeted by the sight of Kagome standing with her hands on her hips and glaring at a man with short black hair. "Give me back the basket right now, Inuyasha, or I swear I'll…I'll…I don't know what I'll do, but you won't like it!"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at Kagome as he yelled back, "I'll give it back when you tell me who it's for! It's full of rabbit food, so I know it ain't for me. Plus you're wearing a dress, that perfume you like, and make-up! If you got a date or something, just tell me! I wanna meet the guy willing to date a damn banshee!"

Kagome gasped as she drew back in shock for a moment. Bruce became a little concerned when it looked like she was about to wrap her dainty hands around the man's neck, but he relaxed a little when she instead balled her hands into fists and dropped them back to her sides. "You! I just…I can't even…Augh!" She screamed in frustration before turning to walk away from him and disappear into the lush garden.

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru barked as he glared at his brother.

Turning around quickly, Inuyasha was surprised to see the other men. He had been so caught up with Kagome that he hadn't noticed their arrival. "What?" Inuyasha called back in a sour mood.

"Put the basket down and bring her back," Sesshoumaru ordered.

Inuyasha glared back as he said, "Go to hell, Sesshoumaru! Mind your own business." But nonetheless, he gently set the basket down in the grass and followed after Kagome.

"So that's your brother, huh?" Bruce asked awkwardly.

Sesshoumaru took a seat in one of the veranda's chairs and waited for his brother's return. "Half-brother," Sesshoumaru corrected. "And sadly, yes."

Glancing back out towards the gardens, Bruce continued, "Do they, uh…Do they always fight like that?"

Sesshoumaru rubbed the tension from his forehead as he answered, "No, thank the heavens."

Laughing, Tony stepped in for his business associate. "Inuyasha runs his own private security company. He's away on business a lot, and he always stays with his brother and Kagome when he's in town. They usually fight constantly for the first couple of days that he's in town, but after that they're almost inseparable and act like the best of friends."

"_He's_ her best friend?" Bruce asked unbelievingly.

Tony nodded as he grinned again. "You'd never think it by the way they act, would you?"

"Do not let their childish behavior fool you, Doctor," Sesshoumaru spoke from his seat. "She will defend him no matter how appalling his behavior and he is fiercely protective of her," the demon said as he leveled the scientist with a knowing look.

Bruce was about to deny whatever he was being accused of when they heard Inuyasha's return. A string of curses filled the air as he ascended the stone steps and stopped in front of Sesshoumaru while holding one hand to his head. "She's throwing rocks down by that damn pond…threw one at me when I got close enough," Inuyasha complained.

Bruce saw the man rubbing a spot on his head, and though he was tentative in doing so, he offered, "Want me to take a look at that for you?"

Finally turning his attention on their guests, Inuyasha said, "Nah, it was just a little rock. Who are you, anyway?"

"This is my good friend, Dr. Banner," Tony introduced.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the two men before speaking to Bruce again. "You're friends with him?" He asked as he tilted his head in Tony's direction. When he received a slow, unsure nod, Inuyasha just frowned more. "Then as far as I'm concerned you're guilty by association. Get the hell out."

"This isn't your house, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru stated from the sidelines. "You have no say in who stays or goes."

Still confused, Bruce spoke up, "I'm sorry, but did…did I do something wrong here?"

"No," Tony sighed as he reassured his friend. "You see, Inuyasha here isn't exactly one of my adoring fans."

"You hit on Kagome right in front of me when you first met her," Inuyasha growled out.

"Can you blame me?" Tony asked innocently.

Inuyasha drew up to his full height as he glared at Tony and said, "We were still _dating_."

"You have to admit that she was stunning in that dress," Tony said openly ignoring Inuyasha. He was quiet for a moment before asking, "Does she still happen to have that dress?"

Inuyasha balled his hands into fists and took several deep breaths to keep himself from decking the billionaire playboy…or worse. "I'm going to go try to talk to Kagome again," he ground out between clenched teeth.

"Wait a minute," Tony called out. "Why doesn't Bruce go and try to talk to her?"

"Why in the hell would he go?" Inuyasha asked incredulously.

Tony hummed before saying, "They've been getting pretty close lately. I doubt she'll throw a rock at him."

"What does he mean by "close"?" Inuyasha asked as he stepped closer to Bruce.

Bruce was forced to look up a little since Inuyasha was about the same height as Tony, but he was used to people trying to intimidate him and held his ground. "She's helping me with my…anger problems."

Inuyasha gave the man a once over before asking, "That all?"

"For now," Tony mumbled as he conveniently looked off in the other direction.

Forcing back the growl that wanted to rip from his throat, Inuyasha tried to reign in his protective streak. He did _not_ like it when men came sniffing around Kagome, but for the moment he didn't think this Dr. Banner was going to be a problem. The man might develop feelings for Kagome—most people who spent any time with her usually did to some extent—but he could smell the anxiety rolling off of the man. He doubted that he would ever make a move on her. "Fine," he eventually conceded. "Take that path straight to the back of the garden. You'll see her eventually," he directed while pointing out the correct path.

Bruce nodded before he descended the steps and followed Inuyasha's instructions. During his walk, he thought about what he had learned so far that day. Kagome had a temper of her own, but it only seemed to surface around her ex-boyfriend. That was another thing that surprised him: the ex. Not that she had one, but that he seemed to be a very dominant and aggressive person. Was that the kind of man that Kagome liked? He didn't think that he could ever be like that. _'Of course, there must be a reason that they broke up,'_ he told himself. _'Maybe it was because he was too aggressive for her.'_ Bruce shook himself from the thought. _'It doesn't matter anyway,'_ he told himself. _'She would never want to date someone so much older than her…not when there are plenty of men her own age.'_

When he eventually heard the small plops of stones being dropped into water, Bruce knew that he was getting close. Coming around from a group of small Japanese Maples, Bruce finally spotted the woman that he was looking for. She grumbled something that sounded a little like "jerk-face" before tossing another stone into the small man-made pond. When she appeared to have run out of rocks, she groaned in frustration to herself before plopping down on the ground to sit with her knees pulled to her chest and her face buried in her arms.

Bruce walked towards the bank of the pond where she sat and gently took a seat next to her. He wasn't sure what to say in the situation. Was it best to give her space until she opened up to him about it? Or would it be best to try to comfort her? Would she react better to comforting words or an embrace? Bruce was sure that he was overthinking things, but he couldn't seem to stop.

"He's such a jerk sometimes," Kagome finally spoke softly without lifting her head.

Grateful that Kagome had decided to start the conversation, Bruce asked, "Why? What does he do?" He watched as Kagome shrugged her shoulders and stilled, but he frowned when he heard her quiet sniffles. Then an idea struck him. Turning so that he was sitting facing Kagome, he gently put his hands on her shoulder and pulled her so that she was sitting up. When she blinked up at him her mascara-coated eyelashes left dark wet spots along the tops of her cheeks. "Turn and face me," he said and watched as she hesitated but eventually followed his instructions. Holding out his arms in a familiar position, he waited for her to catch on and grip his forearms as she usually did. When he felt her soft hands gently grab him, he said, "Now talk to me and let it out."

Kagome just stared at Bruce for a moment. Seeing him in front of her, offering his help and support in a way that was familiar to the both of them, made her throat tighten and she had to swallow in an effort not to cry. She took a deep breath to settle her nerves before she spoke. "He always acts like he can just step into my life whenever he wants and tell me what to do. He doesn't like what I wear, he tells me to change. He doesn't like what I'm eating, he takes it away. He doesn't like who I'm dating, he scares the guy away! He just doesn't get it that he can't keep doing that."

In an effort to help keep things moving—and possibly gather a little information for himself—he said, "I heard that you two used to date. Maybe that's why he still feels like he has a say in your life."

Kagome laughed at the thought before saying, "He didn't have that much say in my life when we _were_ dating. And he's always been this way, even before we dated. It seems like we've been fighting for most of the time that we've known each other."

"That doesn't sound like a very healthy relationship, friends or otherwise," Bruce observed.

Quick to defend her friend in spite of her anger at him, Kagome said, "It's not like that. We're both just…stubborn, I guess. He can be really caring if he tries. He just usually lets his temper get the better of him."

"I'm surprised that you were able to stay friends after you broke up," Bruce said as he watched Kagome's reaction. She seemed surprised at first before smiling softly.

"I guess it probably does seem a little strange to most people," she said softly. "But we each made promises to each other a long time ago. We fight a lot, but we both know that those promises will always be there and that they'll always be true." After a quiet moment, Kagome began to blush and let go of Bruce to cover her face. "I can't believe I threw a rock at him!"

Smiling since she seemed to be feeling better, Bruce asked, "So are you ready to go back?" When Kagome nodded, Bruce stood and offered her a hand up. Kagome rose to her feet and brushed any dirt or grass off of her long skirt before they began to walk back. Watching Kagome from the corner of his eye, he noticed that she did look particularly nice that day. As opposed to the usual shorts or loose pants, she was dressed in a long coral-colored skirt that brushed the ground as she walked and had a simple white tank top covering her top half. Her wavy hair was pulled back loosely and she wore a little more make-up than usual, though she was currently working to remove the dark mascara spots from her cheeks where she had cried. It didn't occur to Bruce until they were almost back to the mansion that Kagome had never let go of his hand, and the realization made him blush lightly as they came into viewing distance of the others.

Kagome only let go of Bruce's hand when they reached the spot than Inuyasha had set down the picnic basket, and she quickly picked up it and her discarded blanket. Walking up the steps, Kagome placed her items on a nearby bench before she turned towards Inuyasha. She didn't have to see his concealed ears to know that they were pressed against his head; his face told her everything. Smiling a little, she stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around his tense shoulders. She hugged him tighter as he relaxed and readily returned the gesture.

Bruce watched the display and felt torn. He was glad that he could help Kagome feel better about her friend, but he wanted to kick himself for helping to put her in the arms of another man. He refused to look over at Tony because the man's smug look wasn't helping his mood.

When Kagome pulled away from Inuyasha, she took his head between her hands and tugged him down so that she could kiss his scalp where the stone had struck him. "I'm sorry," she apologized softly.

Inuyasha grunted before lifting his head up answering, "Yeah, me too."

Kagome smiled up at her friend and gave him another quick hug before stepping away to pick up the picnic basket and blanket once more. Walking up to Bruce, she took his hand again and said, "C'mon."

Surprised, Bruce tried to find his words, but Inuyasha beat him to it. "Where in the hell do you think you're going?" He yelled after them as Kagome pulled Bruce into the house.

"We're going to that little park around the corner," Kagome answered without turning around.

"What about our session today?" Bruce asked as he let Kagome lead him towards the front door.

Kagome smiled up at him as she said, "I think it would be best to take a break today. Things have already been stressful enough. I thought that we could just have lunch and talk."

"I don't know," Bruce hedged. "I don't usually do well in crowded places."

Squeezing his hand gently, Kagome reassured, "Don't worry. It's a small park and there usually aren't too many people. Besides, I'll be with you the entire time."

It was then that Bruce felt their joined hands warm slightly, and he relaxed as the warmth spread up his arm and filled him. He was still a little nervous about going to a public park, but his trust had been steadily building in Kagome for weeks and he had been making progress through their sessions. As long as she was there to help steady him, he would try to make the best out of the situation.

The walk to the park wasn't long—only a few blocks—and it wasn't long after arriving that they were settled on the blanket and Kagome was unpacking their lunch. Bruce complimented her on her choice of vegetable and tofu sandwich wraps with baked sweet potato fries, and they continued to chat as they usually did during their lunches together.

"So," Kagome started as she popped a fry in her mouth. "You know about my dating history now—because trust that Inuyasha has put the kibosh on any attempted relationships since him—so what's your story?" She knew that it was a bold move. Bruce rarely talked about himself or his past, but she hoped that he was comfortable enough around her now that he might open up a little.

For his part, Bruce was taken by surprise when Kagome came out and asked him about his dating experience. "Well," he said slowly as he thought about how he wanted to answer. "There's not much to tell," he said. "I've always been very focused on my work."

Kagome tilted her head to the side as she looked at him. "You can't possibly be telling me that there's never been _anybody_?" She asked.

"There was…" Bruce paused for a moment as he remembered a part of his life that seemed so long ago. "There was one person; Betty. We were actually engaged for a while," he said softly.

Kagome was struck silent. That wasn't the answer that she had been expecting. "I'm sorry," was the only thing that she could think to say at the moment.

"Don't be," Bruce said quickly with a small forced smile. "She tried to help me find a cure after my accident, but I had to leave her when I went on the run."

"Do you ever think about going back and finding her?" Kagome asked, her food forgotten for the moment.

"Sometimes," Bruce admitted. "But I can't. Aside from the fact that I don't want to put her in that kind of danger, her father is the one hunting me."

Kagome's heart broke for Bruce. To find someone that you love and want to spend the rest of your life with and then have that dream taken away…it seemed that the universe loved to conspire against the kind Bruce Banner.

In an attempt to get the focus off of him and to sate his own curiosity, Bruce awkwardly asked, "Can I ask you a question?"

"I don't know, can you?" Kagome immediately retorted. It had become a habit while she was in school learning English grammar. It was what her teacher always said to them, and Kagome hated it just a little bit that the automatic response had rubbed off on her.

Bruce only laughed a little before correcting himself. "Okay," he started. "_May_ I ask you a question?"

"Yes," Kagome groaned, still embarrassed about how she had first answered the man.

"Why did, um…" He felt very awkward just asking something like this, but he had been wondering about it since they were in the gardens back at Kagome's home. "Why did you and…"

"Inuyasha?" Kagome carefully supplied.

"Yes," Bruce nodded. "Why did you and Inuyasha…um, why did you…" He trailed off unable to finish the question.

"Break up?" Kagome supplied again with an understanding smile.

Nodding, Bruce elaborated, "I'm just trying to understand it. Not counting when Tony and I first got to your house this afternoon, you and he still seem to care about each other a lot."

"The short version is that it's complicated," Kagome answered as she put away the rest of her food that she knew she wouldn't eat. "The slightly longer version is that we have a lot of history together and part of that history is that neither of us have ever been very good at expressing how we feel about each other _to_ each other." Sighing as she laid back on the sun-warmed blanket, she continued, "Another part of it is that he has to be away a lot with his business. Whenever he would come home we would both say things that we didn't mean and would always regret later. It was destructive and we both knew it, so we decided to end things." Looking over at Bruce she explained, "We still argue when he comes around, but we don't usually take things as personally since we aren't dating anymore."

"And you said that he stops any relationships that you try to have now?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah," Kagome said as she thought back to their time in feudal Japan. "He never has handled his jealousy well."

Bruce watched Kagome as she let the sun warm her face. Part of him wanted to reach out and run his fingers through her hair, but he held himself back. Though his nature made him long for physical contact, the many beatings that he'd received at the hands of his father and bullies had given him a complex about it. He wanted to touch and be touched, but he deeply feared how others would react to his touch…especially those who knew who he was and what he was capable of. Kagome was one of the very few people who touched him without fear or hesitation. "That's too bad," Bruce said eventually. "I'm sure that there are plenty of guys out there who would kill for the chance to date you."

Laughing as she propped herself up on her elbows, Kagome said, "That's a sweet thought, but guys aren't exactly lining up for the chance when Inuyasha leaves town."

"Maybe you should put up a 'line starts here' sign," Bruce joked lamely, but he smiled when Kagome laughed anyway.

"And would you be in that line?" Kagome asked as she played along with his banter. Bruce went quiet and Kagome looked up to see a light blush across his cheeks. Afraid that she'd said something wrong and set their friendship back, she was about to apologize when he spoke.

"No," he said softly. "I, uh…I don't think so."

Kagome sat up fully so that she could look at him more directly. "Why not?" She asked seriously. She wasn't sure why the idea bothered her so much, but it did.

Thinking about how to answer, Bruce pushed a hand through his hair as he said, "I don't think…well…you wouldn't want to go out with someone like me, anyway. I'm a lot older than you and I don't leave the tower much and then there's the 'other guy'. You'd be better off with someone else."

"Hey," Kagome said sternly as she quickly moved to sit in front of Bruce. She gripped his arms in their familiar way as she looked him in the eye and said, "Stop it. You have to know how great of a guy you are. You're smart and funny and handsome and sweet; every girl in New York would kill for a guy like that." She stopped for a moment before she smiled and said, "Besides, you're not that much older than me."

"How old are you?" Bruce asked ready to prove his point.

"I'm twenty-six," Kagome answered.

"I'll be forty-four in a few months," he said. "I would have been young, but I'm old enough to be your father."

"That doesn't matter," Kagome defended.

Growing frustrated with where the conversation was leading, Bruce quickly said, "And neither does this argument. It's moot. These points would only bear any weight if you actually wanted to have a relationship with me, so…" He trailed off as he watched Kagome's eyes widen slightly. Observant eyes saw her mouth open and close a couple of times before she swallowed and took to chewing her lip. Tentatively, both dreading and hoping for her answer, he asked, "Do you?"

Kagome could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She knew that she felt something for the genius sitting in front of her, but she wasn't sure if it was genuine or if it stemmed from her desire to help him. Her earlier points stood—he was sweet and funny and he always treated her well. When she felt a small, tickling flutter in her stomach, she answered, "I don't know…maybe?" If what she felt wasn't real she didn't want to get her heart broken again, and above that she didn't want to hurt her friend.

He had spent so much time convincing himself that she would never be interested in him that Kagome's answer shocked him. After a moment Bruce finally gathered his bearings enough to ask, "So…what do we do now?" It had been a very long time since he'd been in a situation like this. He waited for Kagome's answer, but before she could speak Bruce's phone rang out a short series of beeps. "Sorry," he said as he pulled his phone from his pocket. "It's a message from Tony. It says that your boss is about ready to let his brother kick Tony out. Tony wants us to come back before Inuyasha "damages his face.""

Kagome laughed, quietly happy that the tense moment had been interrupted. She really didn't know what she wanted out of her relationship with Bruce. They were becoming good friends, but she and Inuyasha were also good friends. Would she and Bruce be able to work in a way that she and Inuyasha hadn't? "I guess we'll pack up and head back then," Kagome said as she quickly began to pack up the remnants of their mostly forgotten lunch.

Their walk back to the mansion was quiet and a little awkward, but the mood lightened when they both began walking up the driveway only to see Tony reclined on the front steps with Inuyasha guarding the front door and glaring at the man. When he saw them, Tony stood from his spot and walked to meet them. Bruce and Kagome stopped behind Tony's car and Kagome turned to look at Bruce. "Can I see your phone for a minute?" She asked.

"Uh…sure," Bruce answered with a small amount of confusion, but he reached into his pocket before placing the small device in her hand nonetheless.

Kagome quickly programmed her number into the phone's contact list and sent a text to her phone from the new contact. "There," she said as she handed Bruce's phone back to him. "Now you have my number and I have yours. Call me and we'll finish what we were talking about earlier, okay?"

Before Bruce had the chance to answer, Tony jumped into the conversation curiously, "Oh, what's this about?" Turning to speak to Bruce directly, he asked, "What exactly were you talking about?"

Both Kagome and Bruce opted to ignore Tony for once as Kagome stood on her tiptoes to place a quick kiss at the corner of Bruce's mouth. Neither said anything as she stepped away and eventually turned to walk up the mansion's front steps. She waited there while the two men got into Tony's car—Tony giving Bruce the third degree the entire time—and waved at them as they drove away. When she turned to go into the house, she was stopped by Inuyasha's hand on her shoulder.

"What the hell was that?" He asked seriously. Maybe he had judged that Banner guy wrong.

Kagome smiled softly as a pink flush overtook her face and she answered, "That was the guy who might just want to date a "damn banshee.""

* * *

AN: I want to thank everyone who sent their thoughts, prayers, and condolences. It really means a lot. I hope everyone enjoyed the new (full) chapter. I'm actually surprising myself with the speed that I'm getting these chapters done. And here's hoping that I didn't just jinx myself. Anyway, let me know what you think, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you next time around. Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 6

AN: So sorry that it took this long to get out a new chapter. Aside from real life shenanigans, I wrote and rewrote the beginning of this chapter _so many_ times before I got something that I was happy with. I hope you all enjoy the new chapter!

Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor The Avengers nor any of their characters. Those belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Marvel/Disney, respectively. I only own any original characters that may appear.

* * *

Control

Chapter Six

Kagome swiveled her chair slowly from side to side as she listened to the men in the conference room drone on and on about revenue projections. It was her job to record the minutes for the meetings that she attended with Sesshoumaru, but she had long ago figured out that it was easier to record the meetings with a webcam and her laptop and then type up the minutes later. Her boredom was beginning to get the better of her though. She had to attend these meetings with her boss, but she rarely spoke and there really wasn't much for her to do. Eventually, her fingers snaked their way into her purse and she pulled out her smartphone.

No new messages. _'Well I'll just have to fix that,'_ she thought.

Opening up a new message to Bruce, Kagome tapped the touch screen's digital keys. _In a meeting with S right now, but I'm free for a late lunch. Want to go to that Indian place you were telling me about?_

It had been several weeks since Inuyasha's arrival and since she and Bruce had gone to the park together. True to her word, she had called him later that evening and they had discusses where each of them wanted their relationship to be.

It had come as a relief to both of them that they were actually on the same page. While they were both willing to see what would develop between them given time and the chance, neither of them wanted to define or label their relationship. They had eventually decided that they would just keep doing what they had been doing and see what happened. If they felt that things were progressing to new levels that weren't "casual" they would just cross that bridge when they came to it.

It didn't take long before Kagome felt the soft vibrations of the phone in her hand. Keeping the phone strategically angled underneath the conference room's table, Kagome read the new message from Bruce. _Can't. On the helicarrier for a team meeting. Not sure when we'll be back on the ground._

Pouting slightly, Kagome began to respond, _Boo. Oh well, we'll just have to go another time._ Kagome stopped typing when she felt a slight swell in Sesshoumaru's aura. Glancing up, she saw her boss glaring at her before looking pointedly to where her phone was in her lap under the table. Smiling apologetically to her friend, she quickly finished up her message, _Uh oh, I just got busted for texting mid-meeting. S is giving me dirty looks. Gotta go, but call me when you get back. Maybe we can get dinner. Hope your meeting is more fun than mine xoxo_

Feeling like a child who had just gotten caught with their hand in the cookie jar, Kagome quietly slid her phone back into her purse before glancing towards Sesshoumaru. His glare slowly melted into a look of mild annoyance before he finally just shook his head at her and turned his attention to the current speaker. Kagome resigned herself to half-listening to the rest of the meeting as she opened a game of solitaire.

* * *

Bruce smiled as he read Kagome's latest message. The Avengers were sitting around the large round table that they usually used for their meetings. They were simply waiting until Fury returned from being called away to another deck.

"Awwww, is that another text from Kagome?" Tony cooed in Bruce's direction when he noticed his friend's expression.

"Who's Kagome?" Steve asked as he looked up from the files that Fury had left behind.

Smirking widely, Tony answered, "Bruce's girlfriend."

The two assassins and the demi-god immediately perked up and began paying attention to the conversation. It wasn't often that anything came out about the quiet doctor's personal life, so Tony's answer instantly piqued everyone's curiosity.

"She's not my girlfriend," Bruce defended tiredly. It was obvious that this wasn't the first time he'd had to correct Tony on that point.

"Oh, right," Tony drawled. "I forgot. You're not "labeling" it. I don't understand that. And no matter what you say, she's your girlfriend."

"So who exactly is this woman?" Natasha broke in.

Pulling out his tablet, Tony said, "Hold on a second." Quickly syncing his tablet with the monitors in front of each seat at the table, he pulled up a file picture of Kagome. "There we go! Miss Kagome Higurashi: Personal Assistant to Sesshoumaru Taishou, self-proclaimed priestess, and Bruce Banner's _girlfriend_," Tony said as he stressed the last word and looked at Bruce.

"She's very pretty," Natasha commented. The other men at the table seemed to agree while Clint let out a low whistle.

"Stark," Fury barked as he approached the table. "What have I told you about tapping into our systems without my permission?"

"Calm down, Mom," Tony responded with a dismissive wave. "I was only pulling up a picture for everyone."

Getting a little annoyed, Bruce said, "You made your point, Tony. Now take her picture down."

Fury glanced down at the picture on the table's screen before asking, "Who is she?"

"Bruce's girlfr—"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Bruce finally snapped at his friend.

Tony spun his chair to face Bruce directly before ticking off on his fingers, "You call each other almost every day, you're constantly texting like high schoolers, you've spent every Saturday together for a few months, you have lunch and dinner dates, and lately she's been coming over and the two of you watch movies together." Turning to face the other people at the table, Tony raised his hand and questioned, "Who agrees that all of that constitutes normal dating for boyfriends and girlfriends?"

Bruce's mouth dropped open when all of his teammates raised their hands, including Fury and Agent Hill. It wasn't until he heard Tony's laughter that he turned around and saw several other agents still at their stations who also had their hands raised.

"_Now_ I've made my point," Tony said smugly as he took Kagome's picture off of the table's monitors.

Bruce was about to retort when Fury cleared his throat loudly. "If we could get back to the reason that you're all here today," he paused making sure that he had each of the Avengers' attention. "I've been speaking with Mr. Stark recently about a new project for the team. It's been decided that since threats to the Earth and its people have become more and more frequent, The Avengers can no longer operate efficiently scattered around the world. That's why, in the coming months, Mr. Stark will be moving his employees out of Stark Tower and into another building so that renovations can begin on what will be—"

"Avengers Tower!" Tony interrupted loudly as he pulled up preliminary designs and schematics on the table's screens.

Glaring at the billionaire, Fury continued, "Yes, on what will be Avengers Tower. This will be what all of you will eventually call home. Floors are going to be renovated to add more living quarters as well as add training and practice facilities. S.H.I.E.L.D. will be overseeing the upgraded and additional defense systems of the building."

Yelling immediately ensued, most loudly from Natasha and Clint. Holding up his hand to silence the group, Fury continued, "You won't be expected to move into the tower anytime soon since the renovations will take time, but this is not optional. Agents Romanoff and Barton, you'll still be assigned your own field missions as you're needed, but when you're stateside and off-duty, this is where you'll be staying. That's final." Despite the pouts and clenched jaws and fists, the team began to settle down. "You'll receive more information and updates on this at future meetings or in packets that will be delivered to you. Now, let's get the sector and mission reports out of the way so that we can all go home."

* * *

Inuyasha vigorously rubbed a towel over head before removing the cotton balls from his damp ears. He was just stepping out of his bathroom and into his bedroom when he heard humming and light footsteps coming from the hall. Placing his towel around his neck, he pulled on a pair of boxers before stepping into the hall to see Kagome. "Hey," he called. "Where are you going?"

Kagome turned to look at her friend before taking a few steps toward him and answering, "Bruce called in an order to this Indian restaurant we've been meaning to try, so I'm going to pick it up and we're going to eat dinner and watch a movie or two."

Scowling, Inuyasha darkly stated, "I don't like him."

"No," Kagome corrected, "you don't like _Tony_. You don't even know Bruce." Reaching up, she ruffled some of the half-demon's short white hair. "I like this better than the black."

"Yeah, well it's easier to fit in with black hair," he said as he gently swatted her hand away. "And I don't like the guy _because_ I don't know anything about him. I can't trust him."

Kagome smiled, knowing how Inuyasha could get. "Then you'll just have to trust me when I say that he's a good guy."

Inuyasha scoffed but didn't say anything more about it. Feeling his stomach rumble, a more concerning topic was brought to mind. "What the hell are Sesshoumaru and I supposed to do for food if you leave?"

"Sesshoumaru is working late and probably won't even bother with dinner. As for you, you're a grown man with two working hands and three options: get a cook to make you something, cook something for yourself, or pick up a phone and order take-out," Kagome said with a teasing smile. Lightly swatting at the taller man's bare abs, she added, "But either way, put on a shirt and some pants before you make the maids swoon."

Having his masculine ego stroked, Inuyasha stood up a little straighter and smirked. "What if that's what I'm going for?"

Kagome grinned impishly as she turned to walk away before answering, "Then, considering all of the maids are in their forties and fifties, I'd say that you're type has really changed." As she descended the steps to the mansion's first floor, Kagome could hear Inuyasha trip over his words as he tried to come up with a reply before he finally just huffed and walked back to his room. Smiling at her small victory, Kagome exited the mansion and hopped into the car that she had called for.

* * *

Kagome thanked the driver and told him that she would call a taxi when she was ready to come home. Adjusting the paper bags in her arms, Kagome entered the dark and empty building only to be greeted by an increasingly familiar voice.

"Good evening, Miss Higurashi," Jarvis said.

"Hello, Jarvis," Kagome answered. "Could you bring an elevator for me, please? My hands are a little full." She had just finished her sentence when she heard the ding of the arriving elevator. "Always a step ahead of me, aren't you?" Entering the elevator, Kagome knew she wouldn't have to press any of the many buttons. Jarvis would automatically take her to floor containing the living quarter's large kitchen.

Settling the bags on the marble countertops, Kagome began unpacking their food. It wasn't long before Bruce appeared looking sheepish. "Sorry I wasn't here to meet you," he apologized. "I was in the lab, and I guess I lost track of time."

"No problem," Kagome chirped. She always enjoyed their meals together. "I haven't checked out any of the food yet. I did remember to tell you that I'm a wimp with spicy food, right?"

Bruce laughed at the face Kagome made as he picked up one of the containers and smelled the contents. "Yes, and I made sure to order something very mild for you. I actually think this one is yours," he said handing over the container.

Curious about the difference, Kagome sniffed the container that Bruce handed her before picking up another on the counter and giving it an exploratory sniff. She pulled back quickly and cleared her throat before handing that container to her dinner partner. "I see what you mean now." Peeking into a couple of containers that contained sides and appetizers, Kagome asked, "How can you handle stuff like that?"

Bruce shrugged a little as he said, "I've told you that I lived in India for a while. I took what meals I could get and never wanted to be rude, so I guess I just built up a tolerance over time. I'm actually pretty fond of spicy foods now."

Humming lightly, Kagome grabbed the utensils included in the bag and said, "I think I'll stick with my wimp spices for now."

The two took their food and moved to where Bruce had already set up a movie for them to watch. As they got settled and Bruce grabbed the remote, Kagome asked, "So what are we watching?"

"_Arsenic and Old Lace_," Bruce answered as he pulled up the menu screen.

Confused, Kagome said, "I don't think I've ever heard of that one."

"Well, it's an older movie—it came out in 1944—but it's really good. I think you'll like it," he said.

Kagome watched Bruce and couldn't help smiling. He was so much more relaxed around her than he used to be. It made her happy to see how far he had come since she had known him. "So," she started as she picked at her food. "How was your meeting today?"

Immediately remembering the debate on the status of his relationship with Kagome, Bruce decided not to mention that—mostly out of embarrassment. "It was fine. We went over the usual types of reports. But Fury and Tony announced that the tower is going to be turned into Avengers Tower. It sounds like it'll be a place for the team to live and train together."

They continued to chat about the upcoming building through the previews but settled into a comfortable silence as the movie started and they ate. By the time the movie ended, Kagome was laughing at the screen and Bruce was chuckling at her laughter. "So should I assume that you liked it?" Bruce asked.

"I loved it," Kagome answered as she turned to look at him. "So how authentic was the food?"

"It was good, but not what I would call authentic," Bruce said with a small smile.

Thinking for a moment, Kagome asked, "Do you miss traveling?"

"A little," Bruce answered honestly. "I miss meeting new people, seeing new places, and helping people that needed it. I'd like to travel again one day without always having to look over my shoulder."

"Yeah, I miss it too," Kagome agreed absently as her mind wandered to days gone by.

Catching his attention, Bruce asked, "You used to travel? Where?"

Kagome had to think for a moment on how to answer. "I never went anywhere far away or exotic. I just traveled through some rural areas of Japan with some friends." Thinking back on her adventures, Kagome added, "Honestly, I think what I miss the most is being able to look up and see the stars. They're impossible to see in big cities like this."

An idea sparked in Bruce's head and he stood up and held out his hand to help Kagome off of the couch as well. "I have something to show you that I think you might like," he explained as he pulled her to her feet. Bruce didn't let go of her hand as they walked down several hallways towards his room. Kagome had instigated hand-holding many times, and Bruce had eventually gotten the courage to do the same. She never hesitated or shied away from him, and he was grateful. He couldn't express how much he had missed physical human contact.

When they finally reached his room, Bruce ushered Kagome inside and urged her to find a seat wherever she wanted. Kagome looked at her choices and opted to just sit on the end of the bed. She watched as Bruce pulled the curtains closed over his windows to shut out the city lights. He then picked up a small remote from his bedside table, turned off the lights in the room, sat down next to Kagome on the bed, and pressed one of the buttons on his remote.

Slowly, Kagome realized that there was a new light source in the room, but it was very soft. Looking up, she gasped softly at the sight of thousands of twinkling stars. From beside her, Bruce spoke, "I mentioned to Tony one time that stargazing helped me relax. The next thing that I know, he had these panels installed in my ceiling. They're displaying real-time the stars that are above us right now."

Kagome was transfixed. It had been such a long time since she had seen stars like that. Even though she knew that they weren't real, it looked like the ceiling had just opened up to reveal a night sky in the country. Lying back on the bed so that she wouldn't have to crane her neck up, Kagome softly said, "Wow...it's beautiful." She turned to look at Bruce in the soft light and smiled brightly. "Thank you for sharing this with me."

Though it was dark and neither of them could tell, Bruce blushed. When he felt a soft tug on the back of his shirt, he took the hint and reclined back to lie next to Kagome.

It was quiet for several minutes before Kagome giggled and said, "Maybe we should picnic in here next time." She thought a little more about it and added, "And I could cook! I'm not as good as Mama, but I'm not bad."

"Do you miss your family?" Bruce asked as he turned his head to look over at Kagome.

"Of course I do," Kagome answered. She rolled over onto her side and propped her head up on her hand. "I'm actually going back home for a little vacation in a couple of weeks. I've been meaning to ask, I mean I don't know if you're interested and it's completely fine if you're not, but I was wondering if you'd like to come with me? You'd be able to get a little bit of wanderlust out of your system."

Bruce was quiet while he absorbed what Kagome had just asked him. "You want me to visit Japan with you?"

Kagome nodded happily and waited for his answer.

"I'm not sure," Bruce hedged. "I don't do very well on planes."

"That's fine!" Kagome said. "Sesshoumaru lets me use his plane for trips home. It would just be the two of us. You wouldn't have to worry about being cramped in with a bunch of strangers."

"I don't even have a passport anymore. All of my assets are frozen because I'm still technically a fugitive," he pointed out.

Waving her hand, Kagome said, "I'm sure we can work something out with your status with S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Avengers." A thought suddenly occurred to Kagome. "If you actually want to go, that is. If you don't want to, you can just say so. I'll understand," she reassured. She smiled trying not to seem disappointed, but she wasn't sure how well she was doing.

Backpedaling so that she wouldn't think that he was rejecting her, Bruce sat up and began to explain, "That's not it. I would love to go! I just didn't want to be more trouble that I would be worth."

Kagome sat up so that she could look at him more evenly before covering Bruce's hand with hers. "You're not any trouble, and even if you were you would be worth lots of it."

Bruce looked at Kagome in the soft light from the starry panels above them and felt his stomach twist. She was holding his hand and smiling at him softly and the light from above reflected in her dark hair creating a halo effect. Even he knew that it was a perfect moment. The only question was would he take the chance to act on it? As he hesitated, Kagome's smile widened a little before she reached up to brush some of his hair out of his eyes. For once, Bruce stopped thinking about the situation and just acted.

Reaching up, Bruce took Kagome's other hand into his own and leaned forward slightly. He watched to see if she would pull away or stop him. When she stood her ground and just kept staring into his eyes, waiting, Bruce moved closer. He gently rested his forehead against hers as her nerves began to get the better of him. He was pretty sure his stomach had taken up gymnastics. But the anxiety began to leave him when he felt a familiar soft warmth work its way through him from his hands. He dipped his head slightly and let his eyes shut when he saw Kagome's eyes flutter closed.

His lips were only a breath away from hers when a loud voice echoed through the room.

_"Bruce!"_ Tony yelled over a speaker installed in the bedroom. _"I just got a call from Fury, there's a situation. Get to the roof to catch your ride to the helicarrier, ASAP."_

Bruce could feel Kagome shake with soft laughter even though all he wanted to do at the moment was wring Tony's neck. "You should probably go, huh?" Kagome asked quietly as she stood up and stretched.

"Yeah," Bruce answered as he turned off the ceiling panels, stood, and turned the bedroom lights back on.

The two left the bedroom and made their way to the elevators. Bruce would take one up while Kagome would take another down, but before he could step onto his Kagome grabbed his sleeve and tugged him back. She quickly rose up to kiss him on the cheek before she said, "Be safe." Letting go of his sleeve, she stepped forward and into her own elevator. The last thing Bruce saw before the doors shut was her waving at him. Sighing at how their night had ended, Bruce made his way to the roof. Tony was at least getting a punch in the arm.

* * *

Kagome had just hailed a taxi and was getting in and telling the driver where to go when she saw a hoverjet leaving the roof of Stark Tower. She thought back to the moment that they had shared just before they were interrupted. Smiling brightly, Kagome rubbed her cheeks to get rid of the heat gathering there. It was sooner than she thought that it would be, but maybe the time was coming for them to reevaluate the status of their relationship.

* * *

AN: New chapter! And I was a little evil. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Remember to let me know what you think. Either way, thanks for reading and I hope to see you next time!


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